KG's Message: "I Got Your Back"

[Greenbean]

Note's from practice today posted on ESPN.

http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/celtics/post/_/id/4673658/practice-report-kg-suspension-fallout

KG's quote about his message is awesome and something to rally around IMO.

"I told my man, [Celtics vice president of media relations] Jeff Twiss, when we were talking that I just want my message to be done, and all of this to be over with, my message here is: Whoever it is, my teammates, [Celtics coach] Doc Rivers, or anyone in the organization, I want them to know I got their back."

This is great stuff and a real sign of UBUNTU that I have yet to see all year.

The rest of the article is great too.

[barefacedmonk]

I agree with what Doc says:

"My only statement on the whole thing, I accept Kevin being suspended, if you go by the letter of the law, you kinda knew it was going to go that way," said Rivers. "But if your really want to stop the fights, you gotta suspend the agitator, too. I think right now, the agitator gets fined, the retaliator gets suspended in all these things. Until they stop the agitator, and fine them, and suspend them both, then you’ll have these things."

[Eja117]

Wow. Common sense on Doc's part. That'll be, what, a $50 K fine, right?

[Donoghus]

I'll probably take some slack for this but isn't this sort've an instance of the old adage "Talk is cheap."

I mean, great, he has their back but I'd expect him to anyways.  He's a part of their team and trusted teammate so isn't that expected regardless of a suspension?

He should be out there playing with them tomorrow night and having their back on the court not riding out a one game suspension where his lack of presence is only going to hurt them.  Once Pierce & Co. take the court tomorrow, they're gonna forget all about KG's statement beacuse he won't be out there with them.

Maybe it'll provide some inspiration but garnering a suspension in the playoffs (justified or not) doesn't exactly get me up and fired up.

[fairweatherfan]

I'll probably take some slack for this but isn't this sort've an instance of the old adage "Talk is cheap."

But didn't he actually back up his words? In a short-sighted way that got him suspended, sure, but it's not just talk, he did stand up to about half the Heat team for Pierce.

[Evantime34]

I'll probably take some slack for this but isn't this sort've an instance of the old adage "Talk is cheap."

I mean, great, he has their back but I'd expect him to anyways.  He's a part of their team and trusted teammate so isn't that expected regardless of a suspension?

He should be out there playing with them tomorrow night and having their back on the court not riding out a one game suspension where his lack of presence is only going to hurt them.  Once Pierce & Co. take the court tomorrow, they're gonna forget all about KG's statement beacuse he won't be out there with them.

Maybe it'll provide some inspiration but garnering a suspension in the playoffs (justified or not) doesn't exactly get me up and fired up.

You are talking about the act of getting suspended shouldn't fire anyone up. However, since that is in the past KG's quote was the best thing he could say.

Does KG getting suspended fire up the team? Maybe. Does it hurt them more than it helps? Yes.

Does KG saying that to a reporter fire up the team? Maybe. Does it hurt more than it helps? No.

So if you're talking about the quote alone it was a good move. If you're talking about the suspension it's not. Since he's already been suspended I'll look at this as an encouraging statement from KG.

[Greenbean]

I'll probably take some slack for this but isn't this sort've an instance of the old adage "Talk is cheap."

But didn't he actually back up his words? In a short-sighted way that got him suspended, sure, but it's not just talk, he did stand up to about half the Heat team for Pierce.

This is what i am thinking. KG is bummed what he did got him suspended but if there is one thing to take from this is that the whole team should have each other's back and sprint to each other's aid. Next time, keep the elbows and fists to yourself men but back down to no one and play together as one.

[Donoghus]

I'll probably take some slack for this but isn't this sort've an instance of the old adage "Talk is cheap."

But didn't he actually back up his words? In a short-sighted way that got him suspended, sure, but it's not just talk, he did stand up to about half the Heat team for Pierce.

Great, so he backed up his words in Game 1 and it ultimately resulted in a suspension.

Shouldn't you already expect to have your teammates back when you're playing on a team?  Shouldn't you trust that your teammates have your back due to the comraderie that comes with playing on a team.  So he proved it.  I'm sure that's reassuring to know but in the process put himself in a situation where he could get suspended and he ultimately did.

Once these guys take the court in Game 2.  None of it's going to matter.  They're going to turn to the teammates they know that are actually playing and go out to win.

[Birdbrain]

I'll probably take some slack for this but isn't this sort've an instance of the old adage "Talk is cheap."

But didn't he actually back up his words? In a short-sighted way that got him suspended, sure, but it's not just talk, he did stand up to about half the Heat team for Pierce.

Exactly TP.

[Mr October]

KG's view on this is fine by me. He hovered over Paul to see what was going on... The Richardson shows up, yapping, with the toe of his sneaker just an inch or 2 from Paul's head, and still moving forward. That is a disrespectful distance.

KG then gave him a little push with the elbow to say get the ** out of here. Richardson pushed, then the Miami mob formed. Kg threw a blind elbow on the way out of the scrum.

He knows he was wrong to throw the elbow. He usually walks away from these things with his arms straight up. He got caught up on the moment and threw an elbow. No big deal. It was only game 1. This stuff happens to the best of them.

The positive here is that players often rally in moments like these. I would expect to see something big out of Davis and Wallace in game 2. Heck the whole team is going to have an extra bounce. PLus the Garden crowd is going to be extra hungry. These are things that can carry the team in KG's absence.

[Donoghus]

Trust me, whatever works for motivation, use it.  If these words somehow inspire the team, then good.  I know the "Rah-rah" stuff works wonders on some guys while others need no motivation. 

He's been a teammate of guys like Pierce, Ray, Perk, Rondo, etc.. for 3 seasons now.  I'm just saying that I feel like it would already been implied and proven that he has their back.  I know this latest instance reiterates that but the suspension is a detriment to the team.

[Birdbrain]

Somebody asked him if he learned anything from this and he took the PC way out (don't blame him) and said something along the lines of letting cooler heads prevail.

I hope if the same thing happens he handles it the same exact way.

[jdpapa3]

I just watched a vid of Kobe and Artest getting into it last year and the ref got between them immediately. I wish they had done that this time because it would've most likely meant KG on the court Tuesday night.

This is just who KG is. High intensity, heat of the moment loose cannon. Just not a guy who can turn the dial up and down according to the moment. Doc said something to this effect a few years ago when KG was getting into it with a ref. Doc told him to calm down, KG calmed, and didn't play with the same fire from then on.

[fairweatherfan]

I'll probably take some slack for this but isn't this sort've an instance of the old adage "Talk is cheap."

But didn't he actually back up his words? In a short-sighted way that got him suspended, sure, but it's not just talk, he did stand up to about half the Heat team for Pierce.

Great, so he backed up his words in Game 1 and it ultimately resulted in a suspension.

Shouldn't you already expect to have your teammates back when you're playing on a team?  Shouldn't you trust that your teammates have your back due to the comraderie that comes with playing on a team.  So he proved it.  I'm sure that's reassuring to know but in the process put himself in a situation where he could get suspended and he ultimately did.

Once these guys take the court in Game 2.  None of it's going to matter.  They're going to turn to the teammates they know that are actually playing and go out to win.

I agree with you, there are much better ways to show your teammates you've got their back than throwing an elbow the last minute of a decided game.  All I was saying was it wasn't really just talk. 

I disagree that the suspension can't possibly do any good though.  A technical foul is, by itself, a counterproductive move, but how often do players/coaches get one on purpose to fire up the team?  And it often works, and becomes a turning point in a game.  A fight or a suspension in a series can get a team more emotionally involved and create a feeling of "us vs them" that can be very beneficial in the long run.  Basketball's a very emotional game, and all else being equal, a motivated team is almost always a better team.

Whether this'll happen for us is very debatable, but we've lacked fire all season, and this could boost our camaraderie going forward.

[misha]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaZ-kKspfXo&playnext_from=TL&videos=8JZ3MuiiE04&feature=sub