Hall of Fame legend Kevin Garnett took an epic stroll down memory lane. In this excerpt from his recent penned work on Bleacher Report's Kevin Garnett ‘Uncensored', Garnett spoke on the 2010 NBA Finals matchup against the Celtics’ rival, the Los Angeles Lakers.

Garnett would come up short of a championship, losing the series four games to three. The series came down to an epic three-pointer by Metta Sandiford-Artest, then known as Ron Artest, which came off of a pass from Bryant.

Garnett expressed the level of respect that he had for Kobe Bryant throughout the series. Bryant faced a physical Celtics team playing through a broken index finger, bone spur in his right ankle, and also a lingering knee injury.

“We told ourselves in that Game 7 that we were gonna stop Kob. That was our strategy. But Kob found a way to win anyway. While he was struggling, he was quick to see who wasn't. Metta Sandiford-Artest, still called Ron back then, had a hot hand. He scored 20. The last three were the most important,” Garnett said.

“We played that critical possession perfectly. Fourth quarter. Minute left on the clock. Lakers up three. Bean has the ball on the wing. Ray is playing him straight-up. Everybody in the building knows he wants to take that shot. F–k no, we ain't gonna let him. Rasheed comes over to double, and Kob drives right. But Ray cuts him off, doesn't let him in the lane. So Bean goes up in the air and gets off a tough pass to Metta behind the arc. Paul [Pierce] has already rotated over and gets a hand in his face, makes a nice contest. We do everything we're supposed to do. Ball just goes in”

Despite the abnormal circumstances, Bryant managed to average 28.6 points along with four assists in the meantime. Garnett and his squad had a game plan to slow down Bryant offensively, which they did as he shot 6-24. Bryant still managed to impact the game by rebounding and trusting his teammates.

The Celtics figured that Bryant was going to take the final shot with a minute remaining. As Boston double-teamed him at the top of the key, Bryant made a play that crushed the Celtics’ chances of winning. Garnett explained that Artest’s three-pointer became the exclamation point, as the Lakers defeated the Celtics 83-79.

Garnett expressed that Boston's game seven loss remains hard to accept 10 years later. The Celtics were on the pace of winning their second championship in three seasons. The win in Staples Center nearly went into the hands of the Celtics. But Bryant’s terrific decision-making was what stunted Boston from clinching their 18th title.