Avery Bradley used to be scared of Kevin Garnett. Who can blame him?

The best love stories ever written always seem to start with conflict. Guy meets girl, guy makes bad impression on girl, guy has to win girl back, guy successfully wins girl back, girl and guy help each other win championships, etc. At least, I’m assuming that’s how these things go. It’s not like I read a Nicholas Sparks novel when I was a freshman in college because my girlfriend made me and then she broke up with me a week later or anything. Jeez, guys.

Anyway, it can happen this way between bros, too. This gem of an article from WEEI’s Ben Rohrbach was absolutely stuffed with interesting notes from the evolution of Kevin Garnett and Avery Bradley’s relationship.

It started with a bad impression, one that I, personally, find completely understandable: Avery Bradley was terrified of Kevin Garnett.

Two years ago, as a rookie, Avery Bradley actually tried to hide in practice.

“I didn’t want to get in, because I was so scared of KG yelling at me if I messed up.”

KG is the guy who bashes his own head against the basket support to put himself in the right mindset before every game. Yeah, AB, I get being scared. If KG yelled at me in practice, I’d be less focused on improving my game and more focused on surviving the encounter.

Then KG moved in with an attempt to win Bradley back.

“One day, KG saw me on the bus,” he said. “I had my hoodie on. I was a little down. I wasn’t playing. He could tell I wasn’t the same Avery, always smiling but shy, and he told me, ‘You know what? I was sitting back in my room last night watching tapes of you in high school. If you continue to work how hard you work every day and never give up, the way you played in high school, you’ll play in the NBA.’”

I mean, it’s not the perfect line for a real relationship. If I walked up to a girl who seemed down and said “Yo, I was watching video tapes of you last night in my room from when you were in high school. You are going to be fine, believe me,” I’d probably get maced. But it worked well for Bradley.

“Then, one day I’m on the bus after a game and all KG said was, ‘I told you,’” added Bradley. “At first I had no clue what he was talking about. He always sits in the back of the bus and tells his stories, and he’s like, ‘I told you that. If you continue to work … hard work always pays off.’ Coming from KG, that made me feel good and made me want to keep working, so I can be like him.”

D’awwwww. There it is. Bradley wants to be like Garnett.

Finally, the kicker: the happily ever after.

“It’s so fun,” he said. “You finally feel like you’re an NBA player. It’s just fun going out there feeling like you’re a part of everything.”

Go check out the full link for a bunch of interesting insights between these two players. It makes for a fascinating story, and quite frankly, I’m always a sucker for happily ever afters. Let’s hope these bros stick.

Follow Tom on Twitter: @Tom_NBA