Kings Also Got into it with Celtics

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>As section214 noted in his recap from the arena, the game was a bit chippy. There was more jawing than action, I'd say, though Tony Allen gave Dahntay Jones a huge forearm shiver and Mikki Moore absolutely destroyed Rajon Rondo on a "block attempt." Kevin Garnett got hit about the head a few times; on replay, neither scrape to his eyes was close to looking intentional. And if KG thought someone was trying to hurt him, we'd know.

The whole Garnett-Francisco Garcia spat began when KG was yanking the ball (and by extension Garcia's forearm) around well after a whistle. Most players would walk away. Garcia yanked his arm away with his palm still gripping the ball; KG yanked back a bit and Garcia slapped the ball away. Again, most players walk away. Garcia did not. Garnett got in his face. The two continued to yap at each other all night. Dime Magazine's recap indicates Garnett brushed Garcia off; apparently, the viewer didn't watch KG walk straight into Garcia during a dead ball in the third. Garnett was every bit as involved in the spat as Garcia. And apparently on the Celtics broadcast of the game, the play-by-play man said Garcia's final words to Garnett -- the ones Dime ridicules -- were El Flaco telling KG it's not personal, good game, etc. That's what KG brushed off. But yeah, he's the classy one who's above all the muck down here on Planet Earth.

The Boston Globe's Marc J. Spears seems to have the only sane telling of the events from the Celtics' point of view. The Boston Herald can't manage to tell the difference between Dahntay Jones and John Salmons, despite Jones going to training camp with the C's this year and Salmons playing in Boston twice a year as a former 76er. The Herald's Mark Murphy paints Artest as the clown last night. I know things are sweet and beautiful in Boston, I really do realize this. But stop making KG out to be a saint. Kendrick Perkins fouled Artest hard; Artest said something, KG jumped in. KG kept yapping into the timeout. Artest walked toward the bench. He wasn't going at Perk for the hard foul -- Perk was behind Artest, the slowest back to the huddle. Artest was focused on KG. You think Garnett was innocent in this, that Ron-Ron would single him out for no reason? If you do, your shamrock-colored goggles must fog up every time The Ticket steps into your visage. Also, if you think this, you should read Sam Amick's Bee recap:

"I really don't want anybody coming into our building and talking the way they wanted to talk in our building, you know?" [Artest] said. "It just can't happen. That was it. In their building, that's cool, and we're going to talk back in their building. But in our building? Don't expect to come in our building and just expect to get away with everything. It just can't happen."

In other words, the world does not revolve around the Celtics. They are not a flock of untouchable clergymen. If they want flap their gums at Ron Artest and Francisco Garcia, they will receive gum-flapping in return.

This was all just a really long of pointing out the subtle reasons most of the country dislikes Boston sports fans. I really like CelticsBlog -- Are Celtics Fans Obnoxious? -- I'd consider Jeff Clark a very good blogfriend. But when I see silly headlines like this one, I want to punch someone in the nose. That moniker was stupid and played out in 2002. Analysis by gay joke is not remotely useful.</div>

Source: SacTown Royalty

Found this interesting column. The Celtics recently got into it with the Kings after a hard foul by Perkins.

Last night Perkins got a technical for taunting after dunking the ball and glaring at Bynum.

KG was physical all night and got the worst of it with a cut across his eyelid on an inadvertent elbow by Bynum after Bynum was undercut.

Maybe Odom just had enough of the Celtics trying to up stage the Lakes on their own court, lost his cool, and took his anger out on Ray Ray.

Something to keep an eye on the rest of the season.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (cpawfan @ Dec 31 2007, 04:01 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>A KG team getting chippy, no shock there.

Anyone else remember the TWolves-Nuggets playoff series?</div>

Of course, who can forget Francisco Elson calling KG gay for grabbing his nuts.

Edit: Found the entire quote

"That's a cheap shot by a low-class type player," Elson said of the contact, which took place in front of the Nuggets' bench late in the first quarter of Minnesota's 84-82 victory, according to Elson and teammates. "You don't do that. That's gay on his part. I told him that he was gay, too, for touching me in my private parts."

Off Topic: This blog is hilarious Francisco Elson Blog

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (CelticBalla32 @ Dec 31 2007, 06:44 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>KG is going to be KG. He's more intense and emotional than any player I have ever seen play this game. He doesn't mean any harm, it's all in the competitive nature of the game. KG also had a right to get pissed in Sacramento, because they were whacking him all game long. Brad Miller tried to sneak a cheap hit in there too.

Perk, on the other hand, is just a badass. He needs to stop staring people down and trash talking as much as he does, because first of all - every player he does it to is better than him - and he also doesn't do it out of necessity all the time. Sometimes, we need Perk to step in with that enforcer's mentality and let someone know they aren't going to get anything easy inside. At the same time, we don't need Perk to "send that message" and talk trash every other possession. Even Doc said he wants Perk to cut down on it.

I don't think this is a problem at all, though. If anything, the league needs more of it to bring back the real competitiveness and potential rivalries. What Odom did was problematic. He blatantly tried to hurt Ray Allen.</div>

I also don't mind the physical and emotional play, but this generation of players cannot handle it and are overly-sensitive to trash talking.

These players take it too, personnel and it leads to the crap Odom pulled at the end of the game.

It's not the first time Odom got emotional and took a cheap shot. If he wanted to send a message and let the Celtic players he didn't appreciate the way they were acting he should have done it earlier in the game to fire up his teammates and get the attention of the officials about what was going on.

Of all the players Odom took his frustration out on the wrong guy. He should have stood up to KG or Perkins instead of tackling Allen.

 

The C's have a lot of guys who can be real pricks (on the court). KG, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, James Posey, Perkins all have their moments where they seem like complete dicks. KG only starts ish with guards though, I've never seen him pull that kind of stuff on anyone over 6'7 but he does it fairly often with guards. I don't buy that BS about KG just does it because he's intense, I think his intensity causes him to take it too far but come on, hes not an animal or a child, he knows how to control himself.