9:03 pm ET
Tim BontempsESPN
BOSTON. The day Kevin Garnett saw his number 5 lifted to the rafters at the TD Garden, he officially buried his beef with Ray Allen.
As part of a ceremony marking Garnett’s six-year anniversary in the franchise, he singled out Allen, who was seated in the front row of the assembled guests along with fellow Big Three member Paul Pierce, for his presence after years of animosity between the two.
“It’s nice to have Ray Allen here,” Garnett said. “Real shit. Good to see you, dude. You’re next, dog.”
Allen then walked over and hugged Garnett with Pierce right behind them, grabbing them both in a bear hug as the crowd erupted in applause.
It was the moment that officially ended the rift between them 10 years ago when Allen decided to sign with the Miami Heat as a free agent. It was a move that ended the five-year run of three stars—all members of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team—that gave Boston the championship in 2008 and ushered in a new era of stars gathered in the NBA to try and outdo them.
“Yeah, it’s a big deal,” Philadelphia’s Doc Rivers, who coached the 2008 title-winning team, said when asked about Allen’s presence Sunday night. “Because obviously that was a problem and the fact that the fence finally came down is really cool.
“Very, very happy for Kevin and it’s great to have Ray here today.”
Allen said he was only certain that he would make it to last week’s event. He admitted that for a long time he was not sure that such a reunion was possible.
But after Allen, Garnett and Pierce were together in Cleveland for the NBA’s 75th anniversary celebration, he said the two of them had a breakthrough and Allen said he was very happy to be a part of Garnett’s day.
“Definitely,” Allen said. “I don’t like being outside. There are so many people here that I love that I have spent time with…these people are etched in my memory when it comes to time here in Boston and not being able to connect with them has always been…for me it is it was always hard.
“The fact that I left does not mean that this relationship, this friendship is over. So everything was centered around Kevin and me, because I had the feeling that people here felt the same way as Kevin. Once he accepted me, people accepted. That made sense. I was happy that we were able to do it and people saw: “We won with this guy in 2008, and that’s the most important thing.”
It all seemed like a long time ago, on the day that Garnett’s number was finally pushed to its limits, where it now sits next to Pierce’s and is the latest of 23 numbers to be retired for Boston’s illustrious history.
“[Former Celtic] Antoine Walker, before I came here, he took me aside, and he just said some great words of wisdom to me, and I took note of it. [introductory] press conference,” Garnett said when asked if the moment was something he had envisioned. “The first thing I did after the press conference was come here and look at the rafters.
“I just proved myself, not only the championship, but immortality in the ceiling, you know what I mean? So it’s safe to say that I showed it.”
The arrival of Garnett in 2007 in exchange for the Minnesota Timberwolves helped turn around what was a dying franchise and propelled Boston back to the top of the NBA.
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In six seasons with the franchise, Garnett was named to five All-Star teams, was selected to the All-Star Game First Team in 2008—the same year he won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award—and was named to the All-Star Game four times. stars. Defense teams.
Even the Celtics suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Dallas Mavericks before the ceremony even began—losing 95–92 thanks to a last-second three-pointer from Spencer Dinwiddie and losing just the third time in the last 18 games—there was nothing they could do to dampen the arena’s enthusiasm and excitement. about the ceremony, which began 30 minutes after the end of the game and lasted about an hour.
In fact, the game was a two-hour warm-up before the main event. Garnett was commended for the first time on the JumboTron during the first media timeout, leading to the first of three applause he received during the game itself.
After a massive dunk from Jaylen Brown took place right in front of him, Garnett stood up and celebrated with him before Brown ran back to the court to play defense.
Rivers also delivered a video message as he was unable to attend the ceremony.
“Every coach in America – all over the world – should be able to coach Kevin Garnett, the best teammate ever to play this game,” Rivers said.
The ceremony eventually began with Hall of Famer announcer Mike Gorman talking about the first time Garnett saw the franchise play in a preseason game in Rome.
“By the break,” Gorman said with a smile, “I wanted to give [then-Celtics president of basketball operations] Danny Ainge hugs.
Gorman was then followed by Pierce, who had been friends with Garnett since the two of them played in AAU in high school and whose time in Boston was revitalized when Garnett and Allen arrived in different majors that legendary summer of 2007.
“Antoine Walker, before I came here, he took me aside and he just said some words of wisdom to me and I took note of it. [introductory] press conference. The first thing I did after the press conference was come here and look at the rafters. I just showed not only the championship, but also immortality in the ceiling, you know what I mean? So I can say with confidence that I showed it.”
Kevin Garnett
Kevin Garnett“We appreciate you, man,” said Pierce, who was one of eight members of the 2008 championship team in attendance. “You brought a sense of culture to this city that it so badly needed. You have returned Celtic Pride. So I want to thank you as a teammate, as a friend, as a brother, and speaking on behalf of everyone in this city, the crowd and every player who had the opportunity to play with you, we love you man. Thanks”.
A video montage of people congratulating Garnett was then shown, including Hall of Famer Isaiah Thomas, who was humorously booed by Celtics fans, along with Kevin McHale, who picked Garnett with the Timberwolves in 1995, and Bill Russell, among others. .
Finally, however, Garnett stepped into the spotlight by interviewing fellow 2008 champion Brian Scalabrin, who is now a color analyst for NBC Sports Boston.
It was an interview that Garnett began in typical and colorful fashion.
“I knew you were all fucking me, but I didn’t know you were all fucking me like this,” he said, standing up from his seat and beating his chest as the crowd erupted. to another massive ovation.
Afterwards, he and Scalabrine shared stories of their days together and the legendary passion and drive that helped make Garnett one of the greatest players of all time.
With the help of his daughters, Garnett lifted his jersey up to the rafters, wiping tears from his eyes.
“You know, I listened to the videos and everything that was here and heard all the time that I came here to make the players better,” said Garnett, “and in fact these players made me better, and I like to think that we make each other better.”