Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big story line. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
“That was classic,” said Garnett after the 113-99 final. “That was like cherry on top for me. My teammates were looking at me like, ‘What is this?’ I was like, ‘I’ll explain it later.’
“But thank you. Thank you for whoever put the Gino on. I know my guys here put it on for me, so I appreciate it. I appreciate that.”
He appreciated, too, the spontaneous outpourings from the crowd, though the one about wanting him begat some mixed emotions.
“I really wanted them to stop that, because I didn’t know if Sam (Mitchell, the coach) was going to actually put me in,” KG said with a laugh. “I was like, please, please. But it was cool. Like I said, appreciation is . . . unconditional appreciation is overwhelming. So thank you guys for that. I appreciate that.”
(Little chance of Mitchell being sentimental. He seemed perturbed when asked about the fans’ shouts for KG. “It was nice,” he said after a pause.)
Tis the season of giving, unless you’re Minnesota head coach Sam Mitchell.
The Wolves do not play Kevin Garnett on the second night of back-to-backs, and KG played 10 minutes vs Brooklyn on Sunday.
So, despite the tidal wave of emotion rolling through the Garden last night, Mitchell stuck with the policy and Garnett stuck to the bench.
Thankfully, Brad Stevens is savvy enough to recognize the magnitude of the moment. He called a timeout late in the game with the sole purpose of giving an NBA icon a most deserved moment before the league’s best fans.
As Gino played on the Jumobtron, Garnett rose from the bench and let loose his emotions while simultaneously soaking in all the love. There’s a Zapruder like film which allegedly shows KG wiping away a tear.
Garnett – a notoriously selfless person – would never ask into the game. But on a night like this one, he shouldn’t have to. Mitchell should have called his name. Fortunately for us, Celtics fans did so all night long.
Related links: ESPN – Fans salute KG for maybe final time | CSNNE – KG’s passion keeps bond strong | Mass Live – Garnett embraced by crowd | Globe – Celtics fans shower love
On Page 2, the injury bug bites Amir and Sully.
Celtics forward Amir Johnson missed Monday’s game against the Timberwolves because of plantar fasciitis, and forward Jared Sullinger sat out because of back spasms.
Johnson has been receiving treatment on his foot injury over the past two weeks while continuing to play. But it had worsened recently, causing him to sit the last two practices.
Sullinger dealt with back issues during his career at Ohio State and underwent surgery in 2013. But coach Brad Stevens said he does not believe these recent spasms, which began at Sunday’s practice, are related to a larger issue. Both players are considered day-to-day, Stevens said. Neither player was available to speak to the media before or after the game.
Yikes.
I’m no doctor, but plantar fasciitis isn’t the best injury for Amir Johnson – a guy who relies on his athleticism.
And I thought we had turned the corner on Jared Sullinger’s back woes.
I know this team is deep, but it would be nice to see Stevens work with a full compliment of players when Marcus Smart returns.
And finally, Kelly Olynyk’s vicious jab step.
https://platform.vine.co/static/scripts/embed.js
Karl Anthony Towns isn’t going to live that one down any time soon.
The rest of the links
Herald – Celtics pick up pace, snap 3 game slide | CSNNE – Zeller answers call | Globe – On KG night, Celtics get back on track
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
