KG

Today's Random Thought from Conor

One of the best things from a night of heavy drinking is the morning after. I'm not talking about the hangover, of course. I'm talking about the hilarious things you find or the little reminders, particularly in the phone, on how drunk you really were. This past weekend had a ton of funny situations and exchanges including, among other things, a fifteen minute phone conversation with an ex-girlfriend about god knows what. I also met a girl at the bar the other night named Danielle but was so drunk, when I got her number I put her name in my phone as "Danheelek Bryan R". It looked right at the time but I was confused the next morning when I got a text from "Danheelek". Gotta love the state of inebriation. Speaking of bars, I've decided that I need an accountant when I go out from now on. Let's just say I dropped a lot of money this weekend. Designated drivers should have multiple roles. From now on, my DD's will be handling my DB's (dollar bills) and prevent me from breaking my budget. We need a name for this.



The KG Situation
by Conor Levis

There are days throughout a lifetime that a person will always remember. Moments where you can recall exactly where you were and what you were doing when it happened. Sometimes they're things in a life, other times a world issue or even a sports issue. I'll always remember my first kiss...and the night I lost my virginity. The times I lost a loved one... and the times I greeted a new life. Like many Americans, I remember where I was on September 11, the Oklahoma City bombing, and the OJ Simpson verdict. The night my Red Sox broke an 86 year curse, the Sunday the Patriots shocked the world, and the first Celtics title of my lifetime. I remember exactly what I was doing on July 31, 2007 when I heard Kevin Garnett was traded to the Celtics. And now that it was announced it's likely Garnett will miss the entire 2009 Postseason, you can add another one to the list.

For Celtics fans, this news is sort of like a bad Dramamine trip...we're not sure if it's real or not, but it's really, really scary. It's not just because the Celtics will be without their anchor in the pursuit to defend the title. It goes beyond that. For many fans like myself, winning the championship last year should have been enough. Isn't winning a title the only thing that matters anyway? But after a 62 win season, the way the team has taken on and relished being the champs, and the sweet memories of last season, it's hard not to want more. Especially given that our three superstars aren't getting any younger. The window of opportunity is constantly shrinking which makes a lost season like this one that much more painful for fans. If KG really is out for the entire postseason and the Celtics don't succeed, we will always wonder 'what if'. And in sports, there's nothing worse than that phrase. Am I giving up on this Celtics team? Absolutely not. I stuck with the team through thick and thin and will not give up now. There's still enough talent to make another championship run. I've seen Paul Pierce lead this team time and time again and people forget the playoff runs he used to make with some mediocre Celtics teams earlier this decade. The problem is that Pierce has miles on him at age 31, it would be nearly impossible for him to carry the workload in a 7 game series with Lebron James. Let's face it...without the team's anchor, the 'ship is alot more distant than it was before (that was a great play on words, just admit it). This isn't even what bothers me most...

"Have we seen the end of the Big Ticket?"

What bothers me most is the way the whole situation was handled. We were told for months that KG would be returning. We even saw him back on the court for a handful games after the initial injury. All signs pointed to Garnett being ready for the playoffs, which fans were led to believe by the organization. That's why most of us were blindsided by this new revelation. You have to give the Celtics organization credit for keeping the news as secretive as they did. Looking back now, we all should have seen it coming. Anytime a timetable was set for Garnett's return, it was pushed back by weeks. We were given specific dates when he would be back...and he never came. When I watched the final game of the regular season and didn't see KG after I was told he would play, I knew something was up. Even after I heard the news, I didn't believe it. I still believed we would see Garnett later this postseason if we made a run and part of me still wants to. Until I read this in the Boston Herald the other day.

We never even knew the extent of the injury. As far as we knew there was no ligament or structural damage. Nothing that would require surgery and nothing that would keep Garnett out for a long period of time. That's what makes all of this scary. If they had come out with a diagnosis and a surgical plan, I would feel a whole lot better about this. The fact that he's missing all this time without a known diagnosis leads me to believe there's a deeper problem. Maybe his knees are just giving out. The man has played in over 1,000 NBA games without missing significant time in any season. Playing with the level of intensity he does every night, maybe he wore him self down. A person of his stature (7'0") carrying that weight up and down the floor night in and night out...at some point it has to catch up with him. And I think that maybe it has. Celtics fans should worry about Garnett not only for this season, but for the rest of his career. I can live with an injury. We knew after bringing in two aging superstars that injuries were a serious possibilty. But not when we start talking about career. As my favorite writer said in a column earlier this week, "When the knees go, they go. That's just the law of the NBA. It's as simple as that."

So excuse me if you thought I was being a little extreme at the beginning of this article. I really hope that my gut is wrong, that this will be a time I won't have to remember. I still have faith in the Celtics this postseason. I want to believe that Garnett will atleast be ok by next season. I just can't shake the feeling that we've seen the end of an era that hadn't even really taken off yet...