Looping back around on that whole "Everyone hates Kevin" issue. Jackie MacMullan (as usual) manages to do the impossible and show us a little glimpse of the inner workings of KG's head.
"He was so nice," Horford marveled. "Completely different. But that's because I'm on his side now."
It truly is that simple: You are either with Kevin Garnett, or against him. In this new-wave NBA, where stars develop relationships as young AAU upstarts and friends from opposing franchises collude to orchestrate dynasties on the fly, KG remains an old-school codger who abhors fraternizing and believes anyone not wearing Celtics green is the enemy -- except during All-Star Weekend.
Rich Levine came to the same conclusions watching the Celtics stars as a group during the All Star weekend.
Celts vs. the world is an age-old rivalry
Basically, what I saw were four players who existed on the outside of the team’s inner circle. Guys who were very different than the rest of the conference’s best. They weren't a part of the NBA’s "cool click," but at the same time, they couldn't care less. They weren’t rude, but they also weren’t going out of their way to foster any special relationships. They weren’t looking for new friends to party with on the road. Or potential teammates to poach at the next free-agency period. They were there to play basketball, have fun and enjoy a little time off from the grind. And that’s about it.
This is both interesting and unsurprising at the same time. Team Ubuntu is all about "we not me," but at the same time it is "us against the world." Many teams give lip service to these concepts, but these guys really seem to take them to heart. They may be getting a little old, but they're all old school.
Basically, if you aren't with us, you're against us. Deal with it.