I didn't know.

Tue Apr 1 16:21:46 CDT 2008

Very moving. Thank you Nathan for sharing it.

On Tue, Apr 1, 2008 at 5:12 PM, Nathan A. <drivenkick43 at yahoo.com> wrote:
> Hi guys,
>  This is a column I wrote in my local newspaper here in
>  Nebraska (published 3/26). This is not big NBA
>  country, but my readers have to put up with my Celtic
>  centered columns once in a while. Thought I'd share it
>  with you guys, since you might care more than my
>  actual readers here.
>
>  Nathan A.
>
>
>         I just didn't know.
>         It takes hours gaining strength in the weight room
>  and years of honing skills to be a good athlete. To be
>  a special athlete, it takes something more, something
>  you can't measure in percentages, points or reps.
>         One of my coaching mentors once said that it takes a
>  lot of good, dedicated athletes to have a good
>  basketball team, but to win a state championship takes
>  a special player. This special player must not only be
>  very talented, but possess a love for the game. She's
>  willing to shoot baskets in the rain, stay after
>  practice to shoot free throws after everyone else
>  leaves and run bleachers in the summer heat. In a
>  word, what makes a good player a special player is
>  passion.
>         Athletes with the right mix of talent and passion are
>  rare, so when they come along, we common folk need to
>  appreciate what we are seeing.
>         When my favorite basketball team, the Boston Celtics,
>  traded for Kevin Garnett last summer, I wrote in this
>  space that I was indifferent.
>         Sure, Kevin Garnett was a great player, but at that
>  point I had seen him in more commercials that
>  basketball games. I lamented that the Celtics were
>  trading an up-and-coming Al Jefferson for a
>  near-the-end-of-his-prime Garnett. When I heard a
>  Timberwolves fan say he didn't like the trade, I
>  pointed out that Garnett's window was closing and that
>  Jefferson would likely be a star for the next 10 to 12
>  years. He might not be Kevin Garnett, I argued, but
>  even Kevin Garnett isn't going to be Kevin Garnett for
>  much longer.
>         I just didn't know.
>         My first clue came when I watched an interview
>  Garnett gave to John Thompson on TNT in 2005. A year
>  after playing in the Western Conference finals, the
>  Wolves were in danger of not making the playoffs. When
>  Thompson pointed out that Garnett's individual
>  statistics were very similar to his MVP season the
>  previous year, Garnett replied, "This ain't golf. This
>  ain't tennis. It's not about me. It's about us." It
>  wasn't just the words. It was that it took him a long
>  time to say it because he was fighting back tears.
>         He was filthy rich. He was the reigning MVP. But the
>  losing wore him out. In a world of me-first
>  professional athletes, Garnett's passion for the game
>  drove him to tears on national television. (Seriously,
>  if you care about basketball or sports, you need to
>  watch this interview. Go to www.youtube.com and do a
>  search for "KG interview." It should be the first one
>  to pop up.)
>         I caught a glimpse, but I still didn't know.
>         Once the season started, and I got a chance to watch
>  Kevin Garnett play basketball every night, I knew.
>         This is a man who is rich beyond our imaginations,
>  but plays each game like his next meal depends on it.
>  I saw it when his seven-foot frame dove on the floor
>  after a loose ball, out hustling Jason Kidd the other
>  night. I saw it a few weeks ago when he missed his
>  first free throw, grabbed the ball and pounded it
>  against his head repeatedly. The Gahden crowd went
>  nuts. He made his second free throw.
>         If an opposing player shoots the ball after a whistle
>  has stopped play, Garnett will swat it away before it
>  gets to the rim, so competitive that he won't even let
>  the opposition make a meaningless shot with play
>  stopped. Now the other Celtic big men have followed
>  suit.
>         There's a reason why Kevin Garnett is being mentioned
>  as MVP candidate this season, even though he currently
>  ranks No. 44 in scoring and No. 17 in rebounding among
>  NBA players. And yes, Al Jefferson (21.3 ppg and 11.6
>  rpg) is putting up better numbers than Garnett (18.8
>  and 9.5).
>         But Garnett's attitude, his passion, has infected the
>  rest of the Celtics and made them the best team in the
>  NBA. You can see it in the bench players who spend
>  more time standing than sitting on the sidelines and
>  race out to greet the players coming off the court for
>  a time out. You can see it the way a Celtic will
>  literally sprint to help up a teammate who has been
>  knocked to the floor. This is a team on a mission, and
>  it's being led by Kevin Garnett.
>         Al Jefferson may be an NBA all-star for the next 10
>  years, but I'm fine with that. Missing his career will
>  be worth it just to watch Kevin Garnett play for my
>  team for a few years.
>         I know the NBA is not really popular around here, but
>  if you're a fan of sports, if you love to see player
>  play with passion for all the right reasons, then you
>  need to be a fan of Kevin Garnett.
>         Now you know.
>
>
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