I often wonder what opposing teams, their beat reporters and bloggers are saying about the Celtics after playing the Celtics. Here's a dose of 'enemy chatter' from Oakland.
People forget that the Celtics were once a doormat for most elite NBA teams and that prior to 2007, they were barely relevant outside of Massachusetts. But once Garnett joined the team, the team became just that: a team. The Ticket bought suits for the rookies, made guys cheer for one another, rushed to pick up a fallen teammate, pushed around an opponent that tried to intimidate one of his players and more importantly, helped create a winning environment. If you are a fan of the NFL, there is a Ray Lewis sound byte that NFL Network loves to use: “If I asked you to give it all up for me right now…”. The rest doesn’t even matter. Ask any Celtic to answer that question about Garnett, and I’m quite sure they would all be say yes without a doubt.
We have always praised the Big Ticket’s passion as a basketball player because he has always been one of the few players to give the fans their just due in every game he’s played in. Whether it’s a back to back in Sacramento or Game 1 of the NBA Finals, KG is coming out swinging. Therefore, if we are going to praise his intensity, his seemingly odd rituals of banging his head against the basket support and his unwillingness to let players score after referees call for a stoppage in play, well we might as well deal with the fact that sometimes he might go a little overboard.
Does he deserve to be disciplined? That’s for the league to figure out. But at the end of the day, does his seemingly maniacal behavior on the court help his team win? You can bet your bottom dollar it does. People can call him a fake tough guy all they want, but two NBA Finals appearances and one title later, his championship ring isn’t fugazzi and neither is his play. And really at the end of the day, that’s all that matters.
Great blog about KG's impact on the Celtics. It's refreshing to read a positive column about Garnett (Yes, I realize I've been one of his harshest critics this season). Despite all his negative antics, he's changed the culture in that locker room.
To be honest… I had to look up the definition of fugazi.
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