If you’ve ever watched the Celtics play, you know they’re excitable, to say the least.  From Kevin Garnett incessantly screaming whatever four-letter word comes to his mind to Kendrick Perkins’ mostly harmless yet constantly present scowl, the Celtics can rub people the wrong way.

Jeff Green knows the C’s will bring their tough-guy act into Oklahoma City tonight, and doesn’t want his team to get wrapped up in it.

Via News OK:

“If they want to talk, they can talk,” said Jeff Green. “We just have to worry about what we have to do. We can’t fall into their little traps of trash talking and them getting in our heads and get us playing out of our (game). We have to continue what we’ve been doing — sharing the ball and playing defense.

“If they want to talk they can talk. If we win the game that will be our talk. We know they’ll come in amped (up) and they’ll talk a lot of trash. It is mostly Kevin, but guys feed off that. It goes into the way they play. I don’t talk at all.”

Some people think the C’s act is tired, that they shouldn’t talk so much trash, that it’s unsportsmanlike and unbecoming to be so hostile on the court.  (I was going to say “such assholes” rather than “so hostile”, but I think you get the picture.)

To that I say, “Ha!”  Trash talk is a huge part of basketball.  It’s been used for many decades, and probably since the very day in 1891 when Dr. James Naismith invented the game.  It has even had a huge place in Boston Celtics tradition.  Larry Bird is one of the most famous trash-talkers ever, and Bill Russell has discussed the importance of psyching out your opponent with a well-timed barb or two.

Plus, the Celtics talk a lot of trash, but you know what?  They back it up.  They are 15-4 and leading the Eastern Conference right now.  As long it’s a great team or a great player talking trash, I’m fine with it.

Now, if the Nets were talking all this junk?  My opinion might be a little different.