Kevin Garnett does not blame referees for Boston Celtics game-2 loss against the Philadelphia 76ers – NBA Playoffs Update
The Boston Celtics started their Eastern Conference second round playoffs series against the Philadelphia 76ers with a win, but were pegged back in game-2. The Celtics lost out 82 – 81 after an enthralling contest and some have suggested that calls made
late in the game by the officials put Boston at a disadvantage.
Kevin Garnett though doesn’t subscribe to that view. He was on the receiving end of the illegal pick call the officials made when Boston had the ball, trailing 78 – 75. The crucial call meant that Paul Pierce three point effort on that possession did not
count and the Sixers got a lifeline instead.
KG though isn’t going to whine about it. He said the officials saw what they saw and called it.
"Mike [Smith] was in a position, and he called it," Garnett said afterwards. "I'm not going to make a big stink about it."
Interestingly, Kevin gave the referees some credit, saying that they had already warned him of the way he was setting picks, so it wasn’t like he did not see the call coming.
"I think Danny [Crawford, one of the other officials] had already gave me a warning about how I was setting the picks," Garnett said.
Always a perfectionist, Garnett demanded more out of himself and his team instead. He said in the interview published by CSNNE.com that the onus shouldn’t be on the refs, it should be on the players. Boston could have avoided that situation altogether had
they been better in the game.
"But that wasn't, to me, the game," Garnett said. "We did things going up to that point that determined the game."
Kevin clearly did not want to stir up trouble with the referees in what is a critical series for the aging Celtics. When pushed on about the call, he did let slip that he might have called it differently, reiterating though that he was fine with the referees
calling it as well.
"I just thought in that situation," Garnett said, "you let the players decide the game. But hey, he felt like it was an illegal pick and that's what it is."
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