Kevin Garnett gets all chatty after running the Bulls out

Had the Bulls beaten the Celtics last night, this post would not be happening. Kevin Garnett personifies almost all the things we want our athletes to be and almost none of the things we want our fellow citizens in every day life and public figures to be. What I mean is that Garnett’s a good person (by all accounts) privately, cares about his teammates, plays hard, and above all else, lives and dies with his team’s wins and losses. And if the Celtics had lost last night, he would have been somber, surly, and in general a pain in the neck to deal with for the media. Again, this is what we ask of our athletes, and Garnett fills the role with aplomb. You can see it as front-running, but in reality, he just loves winning that much.

And it’s that love that led him to get all chatty last night. (All quotes courtesy of WEEI.)

Regarding the importance of this season in his career:

“Especially with the lockout coming up, who knows if this is my last year or if we don’t play next year what it’s going to be,” Garnett said. “So I’m trying to enjoy the guys now, you know.”

On Joakim Noah, who apparently has joined his list of “nobodies.”

“I’m going to tell you something about people, man,” Garnett began. “Everybody has an opinion, and obviously, he had one. I’m not entertaining nor addressing nobodies. I’m not even entertaining them. I’m focused on basketball and these wins and trying to make this team better. Other than that, I’m not on anything”

On this team, specifically:

“Anytime you win, it’s enjoyable, to be honest with you,” Garnett said. “Playing with Shaq, some of the new guys, JO…I’ll be glad when he gets back. I’ll be glad when Perk gets back….Delonte. We have a real vibrant team and I love our team. I don’t like it, I love our team. I love our guys and this is the first time in a long time I’ve allowed myself to actually enjoy them. But I do have a certain way and a certain style that I like to be when I hit the court. Shaq gets a smile out of me very now and then, but for the most part I’m still me.”

Let’s go back to the Noah comments, which will get the most run around ye old internets today. Can we stop with the “He’s a nobody” business? It’s not only played-out and tired, it’s really nonsensical. If he was a nobody, he wouldn’t be playing in the NBA. By the terms with which we regard someone being “important” or not (which is pretty stupid anyway), Joakim Noah is pretty up there in the NBA. He’s the starting centers for the Chicago Bulls who helped them become a team on the rise. I get that Garnett is trying to act like he’s above the comments of Noah earlier this year, but if you’re doing that, just don’t respond. Calling him a nobody is kind of ridiculous, especially considering Garnett wouldn’t have appreciated people saying the same thing about him in Minnesota when he was flaming out of the playoffs year after year.

But in general, life’s pretty good for Garnett and the Celtics. Provided they stay healthy, this looks like the team to beat in the East... and maybe the entire NBA.