<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">It starts with a swoop to the baseline, hard by the basket stanchion, where he fiddles with the improbably long drawstring on his equally long shorts, then smooths everything just so. He navigates the corner, already bouncing on the balls of his feet, diving past the Timberwolves bench, a few knuckle knocks along the way. There's a pit stop at the scorer's table for the rosin, loading up and poofing a cloud of powder on some media target in a Mike Jordan tribute. He gets a fresh "sticky sheet" for the soles of his sneakers, moves around the tipoff circle to acknowledge the opponents' five starters, then walks on by and points to the rafters in a private moment to a friend. Only then does Kevin Garnett find his way back to the circle, ready -- finally -- for the toss. To some, Garnett's pre-tipoff ritual looks almost obsessive-compulsive, lacking only a sink and a bar of soap. To others, it's a trigger for his muscle memory, for his psyche and for all that adrenaline, summoning them for another 48 minutes. To those who have watched for a long time, though, it sometimes seems as if Garnett, again, is dancing alone. Lots of players have rituals. Heading home early in the spring, unfortunately, has become one of Garnett's. With the exception of 2004, when he and the Wolves finally made it to Memorial Day, the All-Star forward and his team generally have been boarded up and closed for the season by Cinco de Mayo. This time, it ended sooner than ever, a fall from the Western Conference's No. 1 berth all the way out of the playoffs. Realistically, in this season of squander, the thud came two weeks ago in Atlanta. Elimination followed Sunday against Seattle, and the 3,121st and final minute of Garnett's 2004-05 season came precisely at 10:16 of the fourth quarter Wednesday against San Antonio, when he left the game to the appreciative applause of Target Center fans. They stood, he sat and his 10th NBA season went into the books. Then this: Garnett clipped the evening short, slipping out a back door and avoiding about 15 reporters or cameramen waiting patiently at his locker. With so many questions hanging about the immediate past and the franchise's future, Garnett left no answers. He simply left. Nothing to say? Afraid of what he might say? Worn out from the same old, same old, after this flail-about, flameout season? Or a calculated move to keep everyone guessing? All of the above is, of course, an option. Sensing trouble There was no guesswork about Garnett's game this season, another brilliant statistical light show. His numbers nearly were identical to last season -- a small dip in scoring (22.2), a bump in shooting percentage (50.2 ) -- he again grabbed more rebounds than anyone else and he ranked in the league's top 20 in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals and minutes. Like last year, he led in efficiency rating (31.96) and double-doubles (69), and he has made the 20/10/5 season (points, rebounds and assists) his own; with six, he took over from Boston legend Larry Bird on the all-time list. In terms of team? Not so good. The Wolves dropped by 14 games, from 58-24 to 44-38, and got leapfrogged in the West by, heck, everybody. Hobbled by a bum right knee for much of the season, especially in February, Garnett -- after his runaway MVP award in 2004 -- is likely to finish in the middle of the pack. And while it's hard to imagine him playing harder or longer or measurably better, whatever Garnett did in the locker room, on the sideline or in huddles failed to lift the Wolves. It's possible, in Latrell Sprewell, Sam Cassell, Wally Szczerbiak, Michael Olowokandi or others, he was trying to lead unleadable teammates. Several pulled out selfish agendas like switchblades on this season. "Oh yeah," said Bird, now the Indiana Pacers president. "If you're around them enough, you know the ones who show up late. Who never work on their shooting when they're in a slump, who never work on their free throws. He is a leader. But in this league, it don't just happen." </div> Source
