Kevin Garnett may not be the "go to" guy, but he's always the "go around" guy.

Garnett, perhaps as much as Shaq in his prime, is a player who creates opportunities for others more than he takes them for himself. As a Minneapolis basketball fan who is supremely happy that KG has found a team that's going to win a ring, I've seen him hold up mediocre teams and spark good ones. He's not the closer, the "transcendent" guy who makes the last second game winner and wags his tongue for the camera. He's the one who shuts down the lane, blocks the shots, gets the rebound and is suddenly on the other end of the court feeding a player who has penetrated the defense.

When he needs to take the shot, he will. In earlier games in the playoffs, I was amazed at just how many times one of KG's shots would be in the air as the 24-second buzzer went off. And they usually went in.

I can understand your frustration, King, at a player who isn't flashy by NBA standards: His first thought isn't to dunk. But try to picture these Celtics without him. Credit to Danny Ainge for trades that cobbled together a team that's strong and deep.

The Celtics are not a spectacular team, other than Pierce

And Ray Allen. But I guess it's OK to leave him out, all he's been doing in this series is guard the Sleeve. And drop a long bucket here and there. And collect a few boards. No big deal.

Why Kevin Garnett isn't willing to try to do that is a mystery.

Yes sir, it is a giant mystery indeed, what with KG sitting all those minutes just because he's collected a few fouls early in the game. I know that sitting star players for 2 or 3 foul "trouble" is a hobby horse of yours, King, but that means you're not allowed to fault a player for failing to perform when his coach has him sitting on the bench for early fouls.

Why Bryant doesn't try to do it every night is another.

A mystery, that is, unless you're paying the slightest bit of attention to how the Celtics defense (both individual and team) has been executing an effective strategy to take The Sleeve out of his game. Sorry, King, this is only a crazy-can't-understand-it murky Mystery to those who don't know how to watch defense. Maybe you should try letting your eye wander away from the ball every so often during LA's possessions, OK?

Hey Kobe: No means no. Try remembering that the next time you check into a hotel.

And as for basketball: you'll never be MJ's equal.

It was amazing that even as they replayed what was an obvious foul, the announcers kept pretending it was a legitimate steal. Michelle Tafoya even asked Kobe about as if it were a legit defensive play. At another point, the color guys (Mark Jackson and whoever) had to remind the play by play guy that his narrative of The Laker Comeback(tm) was inoperative, making many of the same points you made in your column. He wouldn't let it go, so they teased him about it a bit. Kinda funny.

Nice try to drum up some controversy about last night's game, King, but that really was not a foul, even if it usually is a foul. Looked like a clean pick to me.

I tuned into the last ten minutes--maybe the first minutes I've watched of the NBA playoffs--to see if the Celtics would pull out the comeback win and I can't believe all the gushing I hear about the NBA. On every Laker possession, Kobe dribbled down the floor, the rest of the team got out of his way, he held onto the ball for a while, then drove to the basket, usually flailing and shooting wildly. I watched a lot of basketball in the 90s, and I don't think that is how Michael Jordan established himself as the best player on the floor. Since when did "isolation" become the only play that a team with a superstar runs? I understand the idea of getting the ball into the hands of your best player, but you have to keep playing the game. I was really rooting for the Celtics at that point. Also, NCAA tournament games get killed for too many timeouts, but that ending was just as bad. There was more drama in Tiger and Lee Westwood walking up the 18th fairway than in any of the "action" at the end of that game.

Nice try to drum up some controversy about last night's game, King, but that really was not a foul, even if it usually is a foul. Looked like a clean pick to me.

Hahahahahaha.

Really, that's hilarious.

Bryant's arm clearly impacts Pierce's side. You can see the uniform move. What you can't see is Bryant making any contact with the ball.

I didn't even think "foul" until I saw the replay and the clear hack.

But thanks for the laugh.

It's not some abstract Olympian ideal either. It's more or less legit. Legit enough. Not pro wrestling fake or reality TV fake more like, well, pro sports 'real'. At least they don't have rap stars like Lil Wayne in the NBA, yet.

to sit Rondo. If the NBA had a "plus-minus" system like the NHL's, his would decidedly be on the minus side. They aren't executing their offense with him at the point.

Too many empty trips at the beginning of games put them in holes they have to dig out of. Their D picked up when Doc got him out of there, too.

Hopefully, we see House or Sam in there on Tuesday, and hopefully Perkins can return to bang on Gasol, too.

In the 1969 Game 7 of that season's Finals, the Lakers' Keith Erickson poked the ball out of John Havlicek's hands from behind. But in that one, the ball squirted into the hands of Celtics forward Don Nelson , whose 15-foot jumper banged off the back rim, high into the air, and dropped through the hoop.

Maybe give a Bryant a little credit. The refs have favored the Celtics by letting the players play physical so don't whine for a non call now.