Good For KG, Bad for Minnesota

Congratulations to Kevin Garnett on wining a title last night with the Celtics. If anyone in the NBA deserved one for how hard he plays and how much he cares, it's KG. When he looked to the rafters and screamed whatever it was he screamed while talking to ABC sideline reporter Michelle Tafoya last night, it was a genuine shout of joy, a realization that all he's worked for finally paid off. This is a guy who won't be pulling a Javon Walker and showing off his bling in a Las Vegas club, but instead really and truly appreciating this championship and what it means. Not only that, he'll work just as hard this offseason to go get another one. There's nobody else like him in sports right now, which is why even though he left Minnesota, you can't help but love the guy.

Yet while it was nice he remembered Timberwolves fans with a "This one's for 'Sota" reference after the game, it's clear this was not a championship that Wolves fan can share in, and instead only a clearer reminder of how badly the organization failed in their attempts to put a winner around him. Yes, Paul Pierce deserved the MVP (talk about a statement series for PP. Wow!), and KG solidified himself forever as a "Scottie-Pippenesque" great player who plays second fiddle, but there is no doubt Garnett was and is the heart and soul of that Boston team. Again, I'm very happy he won, but if you're somebody who cheered hard for him when he was in Minnesota and loved him (I'm hoping Jer comments or posts on this topic, since KG is his favorite player of all-time. For me it goes Griffey Jr, Mario Lemieux, Shawn Kemp, KG, Gary Payton- I LOVED GP when he was in Seattle, but my love wore off once he left-, Chris Webber and Barry Sanders), this was not a title to be celebrated but instead a bitter reminder of how badly the Wolves have and continue to fail.

And yes, I'm also bitter at the city of Boston. They are dominating the three sports that matter, and what's worse is that they have the nerve to whine about the Super Bowl loss. Really? You've already won 3 Super Bowls in the last five years, the Red Sox have won twice, and now the Celtics win their 17TH CHAMPIONSHIP?!?!? Excuse me if I don't feel sorry for you, while my teams in Seattle and Minnesota continue to go oh-fer. This cements them as my most hated sports city right now, grabbing the title from New York, and rank right up there with Bronco and Packer fans as the most arrogant and annoying. Of course this could be true of just about any fanbase who has some success, but since my teams never win, I'll never know.

Having said that, better the fans of Boston get the titles than LA, since the people in New England actually appreciate it. I'm KNOW there are die-hard Lakers fans in LA, but when watching the games in La-La-Land, those people were nowhere to be found. It was the rich and famous and well-to-do who were just there to be seen, and I'm sure haven't lost one single second of sleep over the Lakers losing a series in which they were the better team but never played like them. So I guess I'm saying that I feel the same way about Boston fans as Wes Mantooth does about Ron Burgandy: I straight hate them...but dammit do I respect them.

Finally, the last time I posted, which was like sometime in 1997, I mentioned how Kobe really couldn't gain much in the public eye by winning this series. What I failed to mention or make a bigger deal of was just how much he had to lose. He was the second best player in the league this season, and he was THE best in the first three rounds of the playoffs. But in the Finals, facing some truly epic defense from Paul Pierce and the Celtics, as well as some awful performances from his teammates (that Pau Gasol trade does not look quite so good now, does it?), we saw the worst and most hated parts of Kobe in all his ugliness. For me, I really enjoyed watching him in the first three rounds, but felt like everybody else in the Finals, and Kobe now has cemented his legacy as one of the most hated NBA players ever along with Bill Laimbeer (and really most of that Pistons team) and Jim McLlvaine (oh wait, that's probably just me). But hey, on the bright side, the NBA has a true villain again on a team that's not going away. And it has a hero in Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and the Celtics.