WALTHAM, Mass. — Kevin Garnett is still close with Ray Allen, and the former teammates will forever share memories of their 2008 championship run and other accomplishments during their time together in Boston. When Allen signed with the Miami Heat this summer, though, Garnett lost his phone number — literally.
"I have not" spoken with Allen, Garnett said Friday at the Boston Celtics practice facility. "I don't have Ray's number anymore. I'm not trying to communicate. I'm just being honest with everybody in here. It's not that I wish him less than [anything] or whatever. That's just what it is."
Allen and Garnett played together for five years in Boston, where they helped lead the Celtics reach two NBA Finals and get to the postseason every year (although Garnett missed the 2009 playoffs with a knee injury). Allen turned down a deal from the Celtics to sign a two-year contract with the Heat this summer, to the consternation of many Celtics fans.
Celtics coach Doc Rivers admitted he was upset when he first heard that Allen would sign with Boston's conference rival, and point guard Rajon Rondo has been conspicuously short with his remarks on his former backcourt mate. Yet Garnett's grudge, if it can be called that, does not extend beyond the court.
"When a guy makes a decision based on him and his family, you can't ever get upset with that," Garnett said. "My personal feelings, I won't put into it. The only thing I'll say is, I wish Ray the best. That's where it's at."
Breaking off communication is "absolutely, absolutely, absolutely" difficult for Garnett due to all they went through together, he said, without offering specific reasons for why he has chosen to engage in radio silence with the NBA's career leader in 3-point field goals.
"I choose not to," Garnett said. "That's a choice I, personally, made. I'm very close to Ray. I know his family. I wish nothing but the best for he and his family. I'm just making a choice of my own, that's all."
Paul Pierce took a lighter view of Allen's departure, speculating that Allen chose Miami since winter golf is nicer in Florida than in Boston. Garnett cracked a few jokes himself, but on the topic of Allen, he was deadly serious.
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