Celtics’ Garnett could miss playoffs

If this turns out to be true, I don't think the Celtics will have a chance to repeat...

WALTHAM, Mass. (AP)—Kevin Garnett isn’t ready to start the playoffs, and Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers said Thursday that there’s a strong possibility that he will miss the entire postseason.

“He’s not going to be ready. After watching him practice, there’s no way,” Rivers said on WEEI-AM. “The way I saw him move today, I don’t know if he’ll be ready.”

When asked to clarify, Rivers said there was a chance Garnett could be out for the rest of the season. Celtics spokesman Jeff Twiss said he could not elaborate on Rivers’ comments.

Garnett injured his right knee Feb. 19 and missed the next 13 games before returning for four, but never playing as many as 18 minutes. With the Celtics assured of a high playoff berth, Rivers then held Garnett out with an eye toward bringing him back for the last three games of the regular season; that became the last two, then the last one, but he never made it back.


Rivers said Thursday he watched Garnett run at the team’s practice facility and said he had to shut him down after 20 minutes.

“If he can’t get through biking and working out without swelling and his leg locking, I don’t know how you can play in the playoffs,” Garnett said. “This was an honest run today, you couldn’t make your way through it. The guy’s a warrior, you see him try to mask his way through it. But after 20 minutes of running, I don’t see it. After today, there’s no way he can play.”

Garnett’s reaction?

“He was frustrated. He was mad at me, mad at everybody. Then he understood,” Rivers said. “He put up a fight. He’s really frustrated, but that’s Kevin. That’s why we got him, because he cares so much.”

The defending NBA champions begin the best-of-seven first round series against the Chicago Bulls on Saturday.

“We’re going to move on without him,” Rivers said.

big blow for my celtics, but i still see them making it to the eastern finals but losing to the cavs

tuki94 wrote:

big blow for my celtics, but i still see them making it to the eastern finals but losing to the cavs

Im not sure they can get to the finals without KG

Huge blow to the Celtics... kinda hurts my feelings since i been tellin people we were still gona beat the Cavs and i really believe we could but without KG we may not make it past orlando in the 2nd round... We probably still can beat Orlando because of what Pierce is gona do in the playoffs which is take over the team as he has since KG went down but i could also see Orlando bouncing us in 6 games.. For people who havent seen the Pierce takin over the C's while KG has been away hes averaging 23-6-3 and defending everyones best perimiter player every night.. but either way they havent ruled KG out for the post season yet its just them sayin hes not ready yet.. if we can get past orlando and see the cavs in the east finals i thik doc will have a hard time tellin KG he cant play..

i dont see boston doing anything without KG
you need a good big man to win games and without KG i saw there screwed unless there shooting over 50%

Mister_JP wrote:

i dont see boston doing anything without KG
you need a good big man to win games and without KG i saw there screwed unless there shooting over 50%

Theres a lot of things u gota consider here.. not just KG bein out... We can get to the eastern finals and hope KG comes back.. we are 19-6 i think without KG and we are 8-3 against playoff teams without KG.. Its not like the C's just fall off the map without him.. we are still a top 3 team in the east and top 4 or 5 in the NBA without him.. Pierce, Allen, Rondo, and House all seem to pick up a lot when KG is out..

i haven't seen this report. i actually heard that Danny Ainge said that KG can return whenever he feels ready to.

Militant X 1 wrote:

i haven't seen this report. i actually heard that Danny Ainge said that KG can return whenever he feels ready to.

Speaking of Ainge, I just saw this story:

BOSTON (AP)—Boston Celtics general manager Danny Ainge was hospitalized Thursday after suffering what the team described as a minor heart attack.

The team issued a brief statement saying that Ainge, 50, was taken to a Boston hospital but provided few other details.

“Danny Ainge is recovering at Massachusetts General Hospital after having a minor heart attack. He is recovering nicely,” the team said. “Mr. Ainge is expected to remain in the hospital for a few days.”

A spokeswoman for Massachusetts General Hospital referred comment to the team.

The news was first reported by WCVB, a Boston TV station.

“All of Celtics Nation is thankful that Danny got incredible medical care so quickly and so effectively,” Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck said. “We wish him, Michelle and the kids all the best and know he will be back with us very soon.”

A member of two Celtics championship teams in the 1980s with the original Big Three of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish, Ainge helped the franchise raise its record 17th NBA championship by assembling a New Big Three by acquiring Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to join veteran Paul Pierce.


Ainge was named NBA executive of the year last season and in October was rewarded with a contract extension and the title of president of basketball operations.

The Celtics are scheduled to begin the playoffs on Saturday against the Chicago Bulls. Earlier Thursday, the Celtics said Garnett was unlikely to return from a knee injury to play in the postseason—a potentially devastating blow to their hopes of a repeat championship.

Ainge missed Wednesday night’s regular-season finale because he wasn’t feeling well. He woke up in the morning with chest pains.

Ainge was a standout basketball player at Brigham Young who also played three seasons of pro baseball, batting .269 over 211 games for the Toronto Blue Jays.

and today danny ainge had a minor heart attack

BoSpOrTsFaN wrote:

and today danny ainge had a minor heart attack

Can you read?!?!?! Look ^^^

DA BULLS!!!