Kevin Garnett thinks teammates don't mind losing

http://www.startribune.com/511/story/301033.html

Phoenix 110, Timberwolves 102
It was just another loss, but Kevin Garnett erupted about his team's
casual attitude about its slump.
Steve Aschburner, Star Tribune

PHOENIX - Not long after the 2005 NBA Most Valuable Player did what he
could to lead his team -- romping, tormenting, scooting at will and
helping the Phoenix Suns to another victory, a 110-102 defeat of the
Timberwolves on Saturday night at US Airways Center -- the 2004 NBA MVP
angrily did what he felt he had to do to lead his team.

Bursting from the glass-enclosed training room immediately next to the
dressing area in the visitors' locker room, Garnett blistered several
Wolves teammates for taking the loss, in his view, too lightly. About a
half-dozen players were packing up and at least two reporters were in
the room when Garnett, peeved by what he saw as casualness and no doubt
frustrated 62 games into the franchise's worst season since his rookie
year, profanely and loudly scolded their attitude, then slammed the
door as he went back into the training room.

Outside the locker room, coach Dwane Casey paused when he heard the
booming, not-quite-decipherable comments from 30 feet away. Inside, a
few minutes later, a calmer Garnett paused, cleared his throat, paused
again, then talked about it.

"I'm looking for the right word here. ... I don't like to speak from a
frustrated mind," Garnett said. "But you're playing one of the best
teams in the damn league and you're not hyped, you're not up. The
atmosphere in here is like we won. [This stuff] hurts, y'know what I
mean?

"I really hate ... I try to keep things in house, but there's a certain
tone [we need] in there, man, and we're going to keep that. And if you
can't [abide] by the tone, you won't be here. You won't play. I don't
sign nobody's checks, but you've got to be prepared and ready to play,
man. I don't know, as a team every night, whether we're ready to do
that. The focus is, it's got to hurt when you lose. I don't know if
it's like that."

The Wolves (26-36) again have lost four games in a row, are 7-18 since
Jan. 20 and have dropped 18 of their past 21 road games. They led by 12
points in the second quarter Saturday night and by six at halftime,
then gave up 62 points in the second half on Phoenix's 63.2 percent
shooting.

Nash scored 19 of his game-high 31 points in the third quarter, 12 of
them to spark the Suns' 17-8 rally from a 68-61 deficit to a 78-76 lead
with a quarter left. From there, the likes of James Jones, Eddie House
and Leandro Barbosa built Phoenix's lead to eight points. When
Garnett's loose ball foul sent Shawn Marion to the line, in the bonus,
with 7:22 left, the free throws made it 95-85. Then Tim Thomas,
Phoenix's low-cost pickup off Chicago's discard pile last week, scored
on a layup and a three-pointer for a 100-90 lead with five minutes
left.

Nash had missed the Suns' previous game because of a sprained right
ankle. Phoenix (42-18) has won 15 of its past 17 games, losing only to
San Antonio on Thursday with Nash out and to the Wolves in that Feb. 6
game.

At various times, nearly every Wolves defender took his turn against
Nash. But the elusive point guard slipped by Marcus Banks, got Trenton
Hassell helpless on his hip, cut around Justin Reed, stutter-stepped
Mark Blount into inertia and dipped under a near-clothesline from Marko
Jaric. But as usual, one Minnesota player appeared to take it the
hardest.

"I've never been one to hold my tongue, and I never will," said
Garnett, who had 28 points, 10 rebounds, three steals and five
turnovers. "I've always said I'm the black wolf here and I lead by
example. This [stuff] hurts. If we're really trying to make a run for
this thing, we've got 20-some games to go."

Dave McNulla wrote:
> http://www.startribune.com/511/story/301033.html
>
> Phoenix 110, Timberwolves 102
> It was just another loss, but Kevin Garnett erupted about his team's
> casual attitude about its slump.
> Steve Aschburner, Star Tribune
>
> PHOENIX - Not long after the 2005 NBA Most Valuable Player did what he
> could to lead his team -- romping, tormenting, scooting at will and
> helping the Phoenix Suns to another victory, a 110-102 defeat of the
> Timberwolves on Saturday night at US Airways Center -- the 2004 NBA MVP
> angrily did what he felt he had to do to lead his team.
>
> Bursting from the glass-enclosed training room immediately next to the
> dressing area in the visitors' locker room, Garnett blistered several
> Wolves teammates for taking the loss, in his view, too lightly. About a
> half-dozen players were packing up and at least two reporters were in
> the room when Garnett, peeved by what he saw as casualness and no doubt
> frustrated 62 games into the franchise's worst season since his rookie
> year, profanely and loudly scolded their attitude, then slammed the
> door as he went back into the training room.
>
> Outside the locker room, coach Dwane Casey paused when he heard the
> booming, not-quite-decipherable comments from 30 feet away. Inside, a
> few minutes later, a calmer Garnett paused, cleared his throat, paused
> again, then talked about it.
>
> "I'm looking for the right word here. ... I don't like to speak from a
> frustrated mind," Garnett said. "But you're playing one of the best
> teams in the damn league and you're not hyped, you're not up. The
> atmosphere in here is like we won. [This stuff] hurts, y'know what I
> mean?
>
> "I really hate ... I try to keep things in house, but there's a certain
> tone [we need] in there, man, and we're going to keep that. And if you
> can't [abide] by the tone, you won't be here. You won't play. I don't
> sign nobody's checks, but you've got to be prepared and ready to play,
> man. I don't know, as a team every night, whether we're ready to do
> that. The focus is, it's got to hurt when you lose. I don't know if
> it's like that."
>
> The Wolves (26-36) again have lost four games in a row, are 7-18 since
> Jan. 20 and have dropped 18 of their past 21 road games. They led by 12
> points in the second quarter Saturday night and by six at halftime,
> then gave up 62 points in the second half on Phoenix's 63.2 percent
> shooting.
>
> Nash scored 19 of his game-high 31 points in the third quarter, 12 of
> them to spark the Suns' 17-8 rally from a 68-61 deficit to a 78-76 lead
> with a quarter left. From there, the likes of James Jones, Eddie House
> and Leandro Barbosa built Phoenix's lead to eight points. When
> Garnett's loose ball foul sent Shawn Marion to the line, in the bonus,
> with 7:22 left, the free throws made it 95-85. Then Tim Thomas,
> Phoenix's low-cost pickup off Chicago's discard pile last week, scored
> on a layup and a three-pointer for a 100-90 lead with five minutes
> left.
>
> Nash had missed the Suns' previous game because of a sprained right
> ankle. Phoenix (42-18) has won 15 of its past 17 games, losing only to
> San Antonio on Thursday with Nash out and to the Wolves in that Feb. 6
> game.
>
> At various times, nearly every Wolves defender took his turn against
> Nash. But the elusive point guard slipped by Marcus Banks, got Trenton
> Hassell helpless on his hip, cut around Justin Reed, stutter-stepped
> Mark Blount into inertia and dipped under a near-clothesline from Marko
> Jaric. But as usual, one Minnesota player appeared to take it the
> hardest.
>
> "I've never been one to hold my tongue, and I never will," said
> Garnett, who had 28 points, 10 rebounds, three steals and five
> turnovers. "I've always said I'm the black wolf here and I lead by
> example. This [stuff] hurts. If we're really trying to make a run for
> this thing, we've got 20-some games to go."

Most likely it was Banks, Blount, and Davis that KG
castigated. There was another article the same day
about how Banks was taking the loss in stride, yada,
yada, yada. And I wouldn't be surprised if McCants
was part of the party, too.

"...we've got 20-some games to go."

<grin> Maybe the Wolves can win four out of the last
twenty and obliterate John Hollinger's worst-case
scenario of the Wolves winning only 29 this season.