KG is BACK!!

The past few NBA weeks have been crazy with all the trades and All-Star Weekend. The All-Stars definitely did their thing, shout out to the EAST on the win, but I'm ready to settle into the second half of the season. As is clear by my numerous posts about Kevin Garnett and his seemingly unstoppable Boston Celtics, I'm a fan.

I relish every opportunity I get to see him in action. There have been a few televised Celtics games in the past few weeks, and while I got to see the rest of the team, KG was MIA. Garnett missed 9 straight games, including the All-Star game, with a strained abdominal muscle. It's weird, you never really notice how much you use your core until your shit doesn't work. Everything from sitting up straight to washin ya ass and of course, playing basketball.

I know I focus a lot on KG, but I'm not blind to the fact that there's a team around him. Everyone, including me, was worried about how the Celts would play without him. Looking back, it seems a bit silly to be that worried. KG's presence definitely affects the defense, but on offense, he's not their biggest threat. He's putting up solid numbers, averaging about 18 ppg, and he pulls down at least 10 boards. I think everyone would agree that KG is the heart and leader of that team, but the Celts proved they don't need him on the court to win a game.

Frankly, I would feel more secure if the Celtics didn't lose another game this season, but I'm not that unrealistic. The Celtics did their thing and were 7-2 while KG was away. Ray Allen has been always been a great player, and has been phenomenal since going to Boston this season. He's still one of the premier shooters in the league, as was proved by his 28 points in 19 minutes during the All-Star game. Paul Pierce, of course, is a has been in Boston for 10 years and is no doubt happy to finally be atop the NBA standings. Rajon Rondo is young, but getting better by the day. The Celtics are known for the Big 3, but their bench isn't too shabby. Tony Allen was a great pickup. Last January he tore 2 knee ligaments after coming down awkwardly after a dunk, and the prognosis was negative! He's made a speedy recovery and is back this season wearing a big ass knee brace, and shooting 44% from behind the arc. Shout out to Brian Scalabrine who started while KG was sidelined. I liked James Posey when he was in Miami and I wasn't so sure why they let him go. Obviously Posey would rather be in Boston right now anyway, seeing as how Shaq is gone, and Miami has yet to hit double digits in wins.

-->KG came back last night in the Celtics 118-124 loss to the Denver Nuggets. Garnett played just 21 minutes, shot 2-7, and finished the game with 4 points, 8 rebounds and 4 turnovers. Yeah, just a tad bit rusty but it's ok! I'm sure he's still feeling the effects of being off the court for almost a month. He'll get stronger over the next few games, and we'll see him back at 100 percent.

YAY YAY!! (Ice Cube Style...lol)

Look at dem boyz wit the DAISY DUKES on!!

So this is the second time in about 2 weeks that Lamar Odom has been charged with a flagrant foul. I went to the game Sunday, December 23, 2007 when the Lakers came to the Garden to play the Knicks. Lamar Odom committed a hard foul against Jamal Crawford that sent him crashing to the court on his back. The refs called it a Flagrant 1, meaning the play was unnecessary.

This past Sunday night the Boston Celtics headed to LA to face the Lakers, and Lamar Odom decided this would be another chance to pick up yet another flagrant. The Lakers, as a tribute to the Lakers teams in the 80s, rocked throwback jerseys with the matching throwback short shorts. Quite the fright! I felt like I was witnessing something inappropriate; like daisy dukes are usually reserved for women, but when men wear them it belongs on an episode of Noah's Ark.

I'm assuming it was those pum pums that got Odom's junk all in a bunch, because by the 4th quarter he was off his rocker. He charged at Ray Allen like a linebacker, knocking him into the Celtics bench. He was called for a Flagrant foul. "I don't know what Odom was thinking," said Allen. "I got the rebound and he tackled me. I know this is Sunday, but this is the wrong field."

The ruling came down today and Odom will be suspended for 1 game without pay. Along with that, he was assessed a Flagrant 2, deeming the play unnecessary, excessive AND intentional. Odom will miss Friday's home game vs. the Philadelphia 76ers. Celtics' head coach Doc Rivers had this to say; "I just thought he [Odom] lost his composure. I didn't think it was intended at Ray. Whoever had the ball was getting that. It wasn't anything personal. Odom's a good kid, a good guy."

The whole game was chippy though. It was way physical and there was a lot of 'Yo momma!' back and forth. Andrew Bynum inadvertently hit Kevin Garnett in the face with his elbow, opening up a bloody gash on his face. Somehow that foul ended up going against the Celtics. Refs clearly OD'd, calling 61 personal fouls, and 7 technical fouls on Kevin Garnett, Kendrick Perkins, Ray Allen, Doc Rivers, Kobe Bryant, Trevor Ariza and Kwame Brown.

The Celtics won the game, 110-91, and have a league-best record 26-3. KG had a double-double, scoring 22 points and 12 rebounds, and game-highs 6 assists and 3 blocks. Paul Pierce led the team in scoring with 33, Ray Allen had 19. G Tony Allen had 16 pts, and really stepped up his play, starting in place of injured Rajon Rondo.

Funny quote:

Kobe on the short shorts - "I don't know what it feels like to wear a thong, but I imagine it feels something like what we had on in the first half. I felt violated. I felt naked. It's one thing to see films with guys wearing those things. I'd rather stay warm man. "

KG Leading All-Star Vote-Getter

Kevin Garnett will be the 2007-2008 MVP.

Kevin Garnett is also the leading vote-getter for the 2008 NBA All-Star Game. Surprised? You shouldn't be. The second set of results came out today, and KG leads the pack with 1,186,690 votes. 727 of those votes came from me by the way. KG is averaging 18.7 ppg, 10.3 rpg and 3.6 apg. His fellow teammates G Ray Allen and F Paul Pierce are both fourth in their respective categories.

Garnett is ahead of all players, East & West, including LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Yao Ming, Jason Kidd, Carmelo Anthony, Tim Duncan, Dwight Howard and Tracy McGrady.

KG's addition to the Boston Celtics was the best move made in the offseason. The Celts, who finished last season 24-58, are now 23-3. A win tonight vs. the Seattle Supersonics will tie the team's total number of wins last season. Ray Allen has missed the last 2 games resting a sore right ankle. He is expected to return the the lineup tonight and face his former team. The Sonics also plan to honor Allen in a ceremony before the game for all he did for the team, including community service, during his tenure from 2003 through the end of last season. No doubt Allen will be thanking them as well for trading him to the winningest team in the league.

The Big Ticket Is In Boston!!

Kevin Garnett is my ULTIMATE favorite player of all time!! He's an amazing athlete and a perennial all star. The 6'11', 235 pound stellar forward was drafted fifth overall out of high school by the Minnesota Timberwolves in 1995. What later became a trend, he was the first player in over 20 years to be drafted right out of HS. In the 2006 season he averaged 22.4 points, 12.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists and shot 83.5% from the line. His career nembers are similar at 20.5 ppg, 11.4 rebs, 4.5 asts, and 78% ft, 1.4 stls and 1.7 blks. KG has started every single game since his 2nd year in the league. He is widely regarded as the best all-around player in the league. Riding KG, the TWolves made the playoff 7 straight seasons, from 1996 to 2003, and were knocked in the 1st round all 7 years. The Wolves finally overcame the 'first round curse' and made it to the NBA Western Conference Finals in 2004 but were beaten by the Lakers. From there everyone felt they were on their way to a championship, but they haven't made the playoffs since. In 2004 he garnered 120 of the 123 first place votes and was voted MVP. He has spent his entire 12 year career with one team, something that is rare to find this trade heavy NBA era. He's just one of those great guys that you hate to see work as hard as he does without the payoff of an NBA championship.

He's passionate, supportive and a great team leader. He is respected by all; the league, his peers, his coaches, his fans and the media. While I love his intensity, effort and sacrifice, it's getting progressively harder to watch him play. His progress season after season on both ends of the ball is amazing but the supporting cast hasn't been good in years. He leaves everything he has out on the floor but in his 12 years in Minnesota, that hasn't been enough. You always know he'll give you 20-10, I mean he's done it for the last 9 years straight! No one can guard him 1-0n-1. When you really love and appreciate an athlete that gives so much night in and night out with no supporting cast, it gets more disgusting to listen to trade rumors. I've been talking about a KG trade for YEARS but Minnesota refused to let him go. Not only that, Garnett didn't want to leave. He loves Minnesota but a man can't do it all by himself. There is a culture of losing in Minny that the owners refused to do anything about. As much as management claimed to appreciate him, they lacked the common sense and weren't proactive enough to make anything happen. The Timberwolves have a bunch of young guys, and doesn't have experienced, savvy veterans like himself. They were unwilling to build a team around their superstar, and when they did get players that contributed and helped the team win, they were unable to hold onto them. Stephen A. Smith said it well, KG's only problem has been his "undying loyalty to the Minnesota Timberwolves franchise." Minnesota should have done a better job, and KG tried to wait on them to build a team around him. It never happened. "I'm loyal to a point where if someone's loyal to me, then I have no problem with that. But when that changes, it's pretty easy for me," Garnett said. Reminds me of that Tupac song, "Do For Love." Chorus - What you won't do, do for love/You tried everything, but you don't get love.

The mere hint of a trade excited me, but I always disappointed when talks fell through. The Los Angeles Lakers are interested in acquiring Garnett! I'm already picturing him in the purple and gold!! Wait no, now it's the Phoenix Suns!! Here I am making plans to move to Arizona!! Still a no? Ok, now it's the Boston Celtics? Should I be falling for this one too? The Celts were coming at him around draft time and Kevin wasn't having it. The franchise is one of the most storied in NBA history, with numerous all stars, hall of famers and championships. But the the past couple of years they have been on a dizzying downward spiral. A team full young guys with little experience, no chemistry, and no confidence. It's even been said that they purposely tanked the season, losing as many games as possible so they could get a higher pick in the 2007 Draft. Now that's low. There's no reason to go from a non-contender to a sucka pretender. But after the draft, Boston acquired the 11-year pro Ray Allen from the Seattle Supersonics, and KG changed his mind. On 7.31.07 it became official. Kevin Garnett is the newest member of the BOSTON CELTICS! The Celtics got KG in exchange for sending guard Sebastian Telfair, center Theo Ratliff, and forwards Al Jefferson, Gerald Green and Ryan Gomes to Minnesota. The Wolves also get two future first-round draft picks and received cash considerations. This is the biggest deal in NBA history; trading one player for seven. "Kevin Garnett is a great player in our league, with a fierce and competitive spirit, who brings offensive scoring prowess and a defensive presence to our team," said Danny Ainge, Executive Director of Basketball Operations for the Celtics.

Garnett and Allen join veteran forward/guard Paul Pierce - THE BIG THREE BABY!! All have been All-stars multiple times, all have been in the eague for 9+ years, and NONE of them have an NBA Championship. None of them have been in the NBA Finals, but they've all played in conference finals. They are sooooo hungry, and a championship is in the very near future. The chemistry is going to be off the hook! Distribution of the basketball and points won’t be an issue. Garnett is a facilitator and is very unselfish. Ray Allen is a shooting guard, and in the 06-067 season averaged 26.4 pts, 4.1 assists, shot nearly 40% from behind the arc, and over 90% from the stripe. Paul Pierce has been with the Celtics his entire career, and averages 23.6 ppg, 3.9 asts, and 6.5 rebs per game. All of these guys are mature athletes and are itching to let everyone see what they've been waiting for for over two decades, The Return of The Boston Celtics! Garnett, Allen, & Pierce, 3 consumate professionals on 1 team. And it's interesting that Allen and Garnett were both drafted by the Timberwolves and are now playing for the Celtics. Full circle. Fresh start for everyone. THE BIG THREE BABY! The Boston Celtics are back on top! The Eastern Conference is now relevant again, and the Celts have catapulted themselves from the bottom of the barrel and are among the top 3 teams in the East. and I cannot wait for the season to begin. Clearly, neither can they.