Kevin Garnett was in the building last Thursday when the Boston Celtics took on the Los Angeles Lakers at TD Garden.
But little did KG know, he was the source of some rich foreshadowing.
KG took in the highly anticipated matchup courtside while wearing a Rajon Rondo No. 9 Celtics jersey. Rondo, of course, now rocks the rival Purple and Gold, and he made sure to leave a lasting memory at his old stomping grounds.
The veteran point guard capped off the Lakers’ comeback with an exclamation point, sinking a game-winning jumper as time expired to send Los Angeles home with a 129-128 victory. And considering Garnett’s background with the Celtics and personal connection with Rondo, The Big Ticket experienced bittersweet emotions as his former teammate’s last-second shot ripped through the net.
“First off I was thinking, ‘You little bastard,'” Garnett told The Athletic’s Jay King. “That’s the first thing I thought. That’s one of those situations where you’re happy for your bro, but for the village and for the establishment you hate it. Because you’ve been in those shoes. If you’ve ever been in a buzzer-beater, and I’ve been on both sides where I’ve actually hit the shot, and I’ve actually had someone hit the shot on me or against me. I was happy and sad all in one. I’ve never been happy to have my homey be happy for him, and be gassed for him. I think (LeBron James) pushed the crowd over there on purpose to kind of dig at me a little bit on some shots, but it was a good time for Rondo. I was happy for him, man. Bad for my team, but great for ‘Do.”
Summed up only as KG can.
The Celtics won’t have to wait terribly long for a shot at revenge, though, as Boston will visit Staples Center for a matchup with Rondo, James and Co. on March 9.
