KG Will Eat Your Children

Or at least yap at them. Or someone. After the Sixers game ended, I flipped over to watch the end of the Celtics-Hawks game, which is quickly becoming must-see TV. The Hawks were leading much of the way, from what I gathered from flipping over during commercials, and when I put it on with just minutes left in the 4th, Atlanta held 3.



Joe Johnson was doing his best Superman impression, making clutch plays after clutch plays, but he was out-clutched by a man many people have considered anything but, at least on the offensive end.

You see, during his days in Minnesota, Kevin Garnett was applauded for his tremendous effort, incredible skill and insane ferocity … until it was crunch time. His critics, who seemed to be many, always complained of Garnett's lack of assertiveness, claiming he often deferred too much to inferior teammates with the game on the line. There was plenty of instances where this was true, others were it was pure bullshit.



Last night, he was every bit as clutch as Reggie Miller, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, albeit for one night. With the C's trailing, it was Garnett who took over in that final quarter, hitting jumpers, hook shots and attacking the rim for alley-oops. His spin and finish on a great oop pass by Rajon Rondo was a thing of beauty.

And all the while, Garnett was bringing the Celtics back, then giving them the lead and winning the game (thanks to a missed freebie by Johnson), Garnett was fired up. So much so that he was jawing, nonstop, every time he got back on the defensive end, at some fan behind the Hawks' basket. Each and every trip down the floor, after Garnett had just put another dagger in the hearts of the Atlanta fans, Garnett sought out his target, who no doubt had been on KG all game, mostly when the C's were down, and spewed obscenity-laden chatter this particular fan's way.

Over recent weeks, many people have been criticizing KG and his teammates for their trash talk. I, for one, love it. It reminds me of Reggie Miller jawing with Spike Lee and taunting the Madison Square Garden faithful with the universal sign of the New York Mets:



The guy is intense. And insanely good. And last night, clutch, putting the game to rest by going right at Josh Smith, one-on-one, taking him to the paint, taking it hard at him for an easy hook. It was a great game for sure, and even better, another defining finish for a man who can't help but explode with his emotions. I love KG. I just wish he wasn't on the Celtics.

Oh, and of course I can't get through a game the Hawks are in without giving some love to Josh Smith. So here he is terrorizing Kendrick Perkins and the rim:



In more NBA news, I saw Chris Paul get his steal in the Hornets-Spurs game, setting the record for most consecutive games with a steal at a ridiculous 106. Paul is the best point guard in the NBA, hands down. There is no disputing this.

And speaking of the Spurs, check out this funny video from Steve Nash: