What is with all the KG hatred?

[Junkyard Dawg]

I haven't seen ANY other 7-footer go after the opponents' point guards like he has.

So what if there's been a few instances of altercations with big guys - it's the frequency of the crap he starts with the Calderons and Bareas that define him...

First of all, not sure what games you're watching, but KG talks to EVERYONE on the court, regardless of size.  Second of all, there aren't too many players who are bigger than KG in this league.  Who would be acceptable to you, Yao Ming?  Shaq?  Third of all, I'm not sure about the analogy of KG like a "blow fish"; the greatest (and toughest) thing about KG is that he rarely loses his cool despite acting like a crazy man out there.  This is reflected in the fact that he doesn't rack up T's like Perk, DHoward, etc.  He is a naturally cold-blooded psycho so he can talk and throw elbows and not actually start flipping out and committing fouls the way other guys do.

If he starts making a habit of sticking his foot under guys who are taking 3 pointers as he did one time, I might change my opinion of him, but until then he is the man.

[Celtics4ever]

I do think most NBA ballplayers are pretenders at being tough.  That doesn't mean I hate KG.  I love him.  I don't think of him as a bonehead but rather the anchor of our defense.  He is our best PF since McHale.

[thirstyboots18]

If you are expecting sports figures to be good sports, examples of behavior, or saintly   you will most always be disappointed.  They all have some questionable facets to their own lives to deal with, and have done things that others wouldn't find exemplary.  

Danny Ainge was a scrapper who once bit Tree Rollins finger.  Kevin McHale clothes-lined Kurt Rambis.  Larry Bird, himself, was one of the biggest trash talkers ever...and in his personal life he left his wife  and daughter, refusing to have anything to do with them.  These are our "heroes"...and Kevin Garnett is the same...a flawed man.  

So are the opponents.  I do not believe for a minute that KG is that much worse than most of his opponents.  Is Dwight Howard really so obtuse that he thinks his elbows are not "offensive" weapons?  Does LBJ really believe the things that come out of his mouth?  I know when I have gotten away with something, so don't tell me they don't know when they have (I often see a player laugh when he knows that a ref has called a foul the wrong way and that he has gotten away with something).

All we really know about these guys is that their teams love them (or use them) and vice versa; that we love the game of basketball (and our chosen team) and the excitement that they bring to it. I love the good "team" play that the Celtics have developed because of the particular players that we have...and Kevin Garnett is a huge part of that.





  

[CelticG1]

I do think most NBA ballplayers are pretenders at being tough.  That doesn't mean I hate KG.  I love him.  I don't think of him as a bonehead but rather the anchor of our defense.  He is our best PF since McHale.

The only sports where the athletes aren't being "pretenders at being tough" would be Football and Hockey and whatdoyouknow you are allowed to tackle people in those sports and in the case of Hockey they are permitted to drop the gloves and literally box each other.

In conclusion basketball is not boxing or street fighting.

[BballTim]

I haven't seen ANY other 7-footer go after the opponents' point guards like he has.

So what if there's been a few instances of altercations with big guys - it's the frequency of the crap he starts with the Calderons and Bareas that define him...

  Actually it's the way he plays basketball that defines him.

[bruinsandceltics]

We'll eventually have to face it. KG is a throwback and times are changing.

This is more society changing than anything. KG is one of the last remnants of when being mean is normal.

Guys like Dwight Howard and Joakim Noah are part of a generation who grew up with mercy rules, positive reinforcement and non-competitiveness in youth sports.

An atmosphere wherein players are not allowed to press when they are up by 20, scoreboards being turned off when the point difference is 40+, etc....

A day wherein a loud screaming coach is asked to tone things down, and fans are not allowed to "boo" in middle school leagues.

I'm stating a fact, not saying whether one way is wrong or right. But we are seeing the results on the court. KG is suddenly a big meanie, and top athletes easily getting their feelings hurt.

This is it. KG is old school. And with the wimpification of American people can't take it anymore.

[Roy H.]

This is it. KG is old school. And with the wimpification of American people can't take it anymore.

Two things:

*If* KG is intentionally trying to injure guys (which I don't believe as of this moment), that doesn't make him old school -- it makes him dangerous, and dirty.  There's no place for that in the game.

Second, the thing I worry about more is KG letting his intensity get the better of him.  When he's getting thrown out of games, or getting suspended for playoff games, he needs to take it down a notch.  Some of the cheap shots, or contact with the refs, can have consequences for the team.  I understand what you're saying about the league becoming softer, but KG needs to play within the rules as they are, rather than within the rules as he (or we) would like them to be.

[Casperian]

Second, the thing I worry about more is KG letting his intensity get the better of him.  When he's getting thrown out of games, or getting suspended for playoff games, he needs to take it down a notch.

I don´t think that´s possible.
Intensity, by design, should get the better of you, otherwise it´s fake.

If KG would tune down his Intensity, he wouldn´t be KG.

[Tgro]

Personally, I think this is much ado about nothing. When KG was out for those couple of weeks, we all couldn't wait for him to get back. And rightfully so. The Celtics as a whole have a different persona without him I almost wonder if KG's so called "act" isn't more about intimidating the other teams or firing himself up. I almost wonder if it's more about getting the team fired up and everyone as passionate as he is to go out and win games and get this championship.

Everyone seems to be jumping on a couple of instances KG did that are undeniably questionable in nature at best. The jock tap (which I personally think was overblown), The leg under shooters (which I think is major if he actually did it all the time. Certainly that can be inadvertent too) or knocking the arm down of a referee (totally inexcusable but I kept wondering why the ref was grabbing KG in the first place). At the exact same time, I've been seeing our own players knocked, elbowed and pushed to the floor just like you would expect from any other team. This stuff happens both ways and it's overblown. I can think of a few jerks on other teams too. But in reality, if I got all upset over it, most of the time it would be overblown in that direction too. Basketball happens folks.

Give me KG any day. I think it's a big hole on our team without him. He does FAR (a tremendous amount) more good than bad (why does it seem so 50/50 around here?). And the man is helping our team get that championship that escaped us by 6 minutes and 4 points. His hunger and passion to get us that title is all I need to know about KG. I just can't get behind harping about KG's bad side. The man is a true Celtic who I'm gonna miss big time when he no longer suits up for us.   

[Roy H.]

Second, the thing I worry about more is KG letting his intensity get the better of him.  When he's getting thrown out of games, or getting suspended for playoff games, he needs to take it down a notch.

I don´t think that´s possible.
Intensity, by design, should get the better of you, otherwise it´s fake.

If KG would tune down his Intensity, he wouldn´t be KG.

I hear this a lot, and I disagree with it.  Intense athletes (and people, for that matter) are able to harness their intensity without stepping over a line all the time.  It's possible to be intense without throwing elbows in playoff games, or pushing / slapping away referees.  There's a difference between being intense and being a loose cannon.  KG usually walks this line close to perfectly (like he did in the Lakers game, where he suffered a head injury but kept his cool), but there's a few times he has crossed it, and he seems to be escalating right now. 

I worry that teams are going to instigate KG more and more, and he's not going to handle that well.  The guy is an all-time great player, but I do have some concern that he can't consistently control himself.  So long as he confines the intensity to great defense and some trash-talking, beautiful.  It's when it spills over into the physical that it's more of a concern.

[housecall]

Since when did professional basketball become a gentleman's sport.This is not cricket,sailing,tennis or golf.I never heard anyone complaing when Mchale clotheslined K.Rambis but K.Kurt Rambis but i don't feel Kevin McHale's legacy has been tarnished from it.There are other instances by star players in the past were ok then but by today's standards are looked on as dirty plays because the league has been watered down a lot over the years.
KG plays like he was taught to play in the 90's.If he wasn't  a little edgy on the court he probably wouldn't have survived in the league.The league is changing yrly and KG isn't.

[NoraG1]

Since when did professional basketball become a gentleman's sport.This is not cricket,sailing,tennis or golf.I never heard anyone complaing when Mchale clotheslined K.Rambis but K.Kurt Rambis but i don't feel Kevin McHale's legacy has been tarnished from it.There are other instances by star players in the past were ok then but by today's standards are looked on as dirty plays because the league has been watered down a lot over the years.
KG plays like he was taught to play in the 90's.If he wasn't  a little edgy on the court he probably wouldn't have survived in the league.The league is changing yrly and KG isn't.

I agree with this and imagine what it must have been like for KG when he was the 1st player in quite some time to come right out of high school. Some of the bios on him like 'Beyond the Glory' go into it a bit. If he had acted in the way some players are acting today when KG is apparently 'mean' to them he would have been laughed right out of the league.

[quidinqui33]

As far as I can tell, KG is a class act off the court, and that is honestly what defines him as a man.

When he is on the court, I want him to be the in your face, intense, "jerk" that he is.

Does he throw cheap shots at times or get techs? Sure.  But, other than the suspension against miami last year and him getting tossed this year (which was questionable), how often does KG lose his cool to where it costs this team.  I don't think it has. 

We cheer Bird for cholking Dr. J, we love McHale clothes lining Rambis, we went nuts when parish pummeled Lambier. KG has never done anything to that extent and people get on his case.

And for those who call KG a studio ganster or say his toughness is fake.  Honestly, what is he supposed to do, start throwing punches to prove he is man?  If all these players/"fans" that keep calling KG, or even Pierce for that matter, fake tough...then step up to them...throw a punch and see what happens.  I'm sure they would fight back, but why do they need to prove that?

I'd take an intense, trash talking, leader on the court who never completely lost his cool, then some punk who gets into brawls, gets into off court trouble, has drug problems, beats his wife, or brings guns into the locker room any day.

[anthony83]

  KG is motivation, intensity, fight, pride, honor.
 He plays different, now there are no players to play as he   plays, the league is changing, KG doesn´t change.
 He has a special courage, are special players, Iverson is the  same, are players who play with heart.
 It's sad because there are no players to play with that motivation.

[Casperian]

I hear this a lot, and I disagree with it.  Intense athletes (and people, for that matter) are able to harness their intensity without stepping over a line all the time.  It's possible to be intense without throwing elbows in playoff games, or pushing / slapping away referees.  There's a difference between being intense and being a loose cannon.  KG usually walks this line close to perfectly (like he did in the Lakers game, where he suffered a head injury but kept his cool), but there's a few times he has crossed it, and he seems to be escalating right now.  

I worry that teams are going to instigate KG more and more, and he's not going to handle that well.  The guy is an all-time great player, but I do have some concern that he can't consistently control himself.  So long as he confines the intensity to great defense and some trash-talking, beautiful.  It's when it spills over into the physical that it's more of a concern.

I agree, intensity has nothing to do with being dirty. That means you don´t want him to tune down his intensity, you want him to stop being dirty. The difference is you think his intensity is a direct cause for his dirty plays, but I think it´s just magnifying his actions.

I argue that KG is just adapting to the environment, the whole league is full of dirty players (who are not as intense as KG), always has been. His intensity is just what leads him to snap more frequently. Still, two wrongs don´t make one right, and it would be absolutely foolish (if not downright impossible) for him to abandon his fire, in my opinion. It´s what makes him tick.

We´ll just have to take the good with the bad. I take a sharp, double-edged sword over a blunt knife any day, if you know what I mean.