Kevin Garnett defeats the Minnesota Timberwolves in their first meeting.
NBA Mid-Season Report
With KG getting injured and falling on the way to the tunnel due to pain, only to make a late-game return, I knew we were potentially due for another WWF-esque moment from the Big Ticket. I was really hoping to see him raise his arms as he entered and get the crowd going nuts. It’s absolutely incredible when he gets them going like that, even if it does get the home crowd rallied up against my own team.
Instead, we were “treated” to KG’s tirade at the end of the game in which he popped out his jersey to display “Celtics” and kept repeating “This is what I’m talking about Motherf***ers!”
I have to admit, I love it when KG goes bonkers, but tonight I found it a little tough to swallow. It seemed to me that his actions were a little insulting to the Wolves organization. The way he clearly pointed out “Celtics” over and over again made it appear that he was driving home the message that the C’s are so much better than the Timberwolves.
Trying to take a more objective look, Garnett was at home and was celebrating in front of the Boston fans. His actions could just be his way of saying “I’m happy to be here, to be a part of this organization, etc.” But in the back of my mind, it still just seemed like there was a little bit of anti-Wolves sentiment there as well. I’ve seen him do the jersey pop before, but this one just seemed a little more enthusiastic, a little longer, and thus, a little more deliberate.
Trust me, KG has every reason to want to stick it to McHale, Taylor, and whoever else put him through twelve years of hell with their bad management decisions. I would just like to think that Kevin would also remember that there’s thousands and thousands of Timberwolves fans who still support him just as strongly as ever. We treat him as if he were still one of our own. When he went down in the 4th quarter with the abdominal strain, it never crossed my mind to think “Yes! We have a better shot of winning!”. Instead, I was annoyed with the Wolves as if they’d just injured one of their own teammates.
Through location, loyalty, or a twisted gluttony for punishment, we’re all still following and supporting the Wolves in Garnett’s absence. Because of that, any action he does to insult the organization can be taken as an insult to us. Truth be told, as much as I consider him to still be “one of us”, he’s really not. The fans on this site and I can take our shots at the team because it’s “our” team. Anything negative we say is out of love coupled with frustration, and at the end of the day we still bleed for this organziation. Garnett doesn’t have that relationship any more and every move he made last night was going to come under major scrutiny. I just wish he’d been a litte more careful, and, without sounding like a total wuss, a little more sensitive to the people he left behind.
Again, the game was in Boston and he was celebrating with the Boston fans. It’s not far-fetched to think that he got caught up in the moment and forgot about the thousands in the Midwest who were watching him over the television. After twelve seasons of doing the incredible for us, I’m more than willing to give KG a pass on this one. I just seriously hope we don’t see anything similar when the Ticket comes back to the Target Center, because that would simply be inexcusable.
My final word of advice to KG would be this – if you’re going to pull out a WWF move on February 8th, make it this one: Act like you’re going to run up to Al Jefferson and clock him in the face, and then instead raise his arm into the air as a sign of solidarity with your long-time fans and the players they now support in your absence.
Trust me, the crowd will love it!
Predictions:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Atlantic Division:
1. Boston
2. Toronto
3. New Jersey
4. Philadelphia
5. New York
Central Division:
1. Detroit
2. Cleveland
3. Chicago
4. Indiana
5. Milwaukee
Southeast Division
1. Orlando
2. Washington
3. Atlanta
4. Charlotte
5. Miami
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Northwest Division
1. Utah
2. Denver
3. Portland
4. Seattle
5. Minnesota
Pacific Division
1. Phoenix
2. Los Angeles Lakers
3. Golden State
4. Sacramento
5. Los Angeles Clippers
Southwest Division
1. Dallas
2. San Antonio
3. New Orleans
4. Houston
5. Memphis
PLAYOFFS:
EASTERN CONFERENCE:
1. Boston
2. Detroit
3. Orlando
4. Cleveland
5. Toronto
6. Washington
7. Chicago
8. Atlanta
First Round:
Boston over Atlanta
Detroit over Chicago
Orlando over Washington
Cleveland over Toronto
Conference Semifinals:
Boston over Cleveland
Detroit over Orlando
Conference Finals:
Boston over Detroit
WESTERN CONFERENCE:
1. Phoenix
2. Dallas
3. Utah
4. San Antonio
5. New Orleans
6. L.A. Lakers
7. Denver
8. Golden State
First Round:
Phoenix over Golden State
Dallas over Denver
L.A. Lakers over Utah
San Antonio over New Orleans
Conference Semifinals:
San Antonio over Phoenix
Dallas over L.A. Lakers
Conference Finals:
San Antonio over Dallas
NBA FINALS:
San Antonio over Boston
