Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, and Ray Allen were part of one of the best rosters to have assembled in the history of the Boston Celtics franchise. Coached by Doc Rivers, one would expect the team must be having a good time overall with the kind of success they had. However, that was not always the case as recently, Garnett, Pierce and Rivers revealed the details of their ‘good old Boston days’ on the ‘KGCertifed’ podcast.
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During the show, Kevin Garnett and Doc Rivers divulged a story of the Boston Celtics locker room where the team went into a fight after winning a game against the Indiana Pacers. After the game, Kevin Garnett and Brandon Bass had an argument, which cascaded as more and more teammates got involved.
Rivers said, “We clinched the game, and you and Brandon Bass about to fight. I am sitting there, and Kevn is yelling at me – ‘You ain’t getting involved! You ain’t getting involved!’
Garnett then trying to defend his stance said he was trying to keep coaches out of the fight and was trying to be resolute,
“and the locker room just went up in flames.”
Interestingly, all of these happened despite Celtics winning that game. Doc, as a great coach, handled the situation well and didn’t even let the media sense it by saying the players were celebrating after the win.
Despite staying together for five seasons, the Celtics team had a very tumultuous relationship with each other. Within their success and failures lay a contentious dynamic that always felt on the brink of exploding. Keeping their relationship in mind, the Doc Rivers story will not come as a surprise to the fans.
This is not the only case, where NBA teams with big names on their team faced a power struggle. Considering the feud between Kobe Bryant-Shaquille O’Neal, Dennis Rodman-Kobe and Shaq, and James Harden-Dwight Howard, it is safe to say that the Celtics fight was one among many the team had during their time together.
The Boston Celtics’ rivalry with Ray Allen
After spending five years with Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen decided to leave the Boston Celtics. He joined the Celtics’ Eastern Conference rivals – the Miami Heat. Heat had formed a superteam by trading for LeBron James, who joined forces with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Allen’s decision did not sit well with his former teammates, and the relationship remains sour to date.
In 2012, the Miami Heat defeated the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals in an intense seven-game series. The team subsequently went on to win the NBA championship. Following the season, Ray Allen joined the Celtics rivals and went on to win the 2013 NBA title. This included the iconic game-winner from Allen in Game 6 of the NBA finals against the San Antonio Spurs. Allen’s departure for a rival, along with immediate success remains to be a thorn in the side of the Boston Celtics core.
