BOSTON — Maybe it was a slip of the tongue or a subtly placed hint, but Kevin Garnett left quite a few reporters scratching their heads on Wednesday.
After the Celtics closed out the first half of the regular season with a victory over the Bulls, Garnett talked about the fatigue he felt after playing three games in four days and how the Celtics have managed to win eight of their last nine games despite a barrage of season-ending injuries. He casually mentioned that he would try to enjoy his trip to Houston this weekend for his “last” All-Star game.
Wait, what?
“This is definitely my last All-Star game,” Garnett replied when asked if that was really what he meant.
With two years left on his contract, Garnett would seem to have plenty of opportunities upcoming to make another trip to the midseason gathering of the league’s most popular players. Garnett, vaguely, does not seem to be taking that for granted.
“Y’all don’t know what I know,” Garnett said. “Let’s just put it like this: I’m more than grateful to be going. I don’t want to act like I’ve got more All-Star games in me, so I plan on enjoying this one with some friends and family.”
Garnett, a veteran of 18 seasons in the NBA, would not elaborate beyond his nebulous comments. Celtics fans can only hope he means that the grind of the season will make him turn down future invitations or that he is simply planning to soak in the experience in case this is his final trip.
Or maybe he is just messing with everyone, just to keep them on their toes.
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