Juxtaposed, the two teams only seem more different. Boston, a defensive-minded crew whose core has molded itself through years of experience. New York, almost singularly focused on offense, thrown together at mid-season in an attempt to save basketball in The Big Apple. Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony are still feeling each other out, while Rajon Rondo could probably close his eyes and still pass the ball where Kevin Garnett will cut.

At their core, Garnett and Stoudemire share so many similarities. Two All-NBA power forwards. Two straight- outta-high school success stories. Two mutant physical specimens apparently designed specifically to play basketball. Two players crucial to their teams’ success, who have grown throughout the years to become leaders, who began their careers in one place and became beloved there, but saw greater opportunity elsewhere. Yet if they are atomically the same, they are molecularly dissimilar, like two very different blankets made from the same cloth.

Garnett has never seen himself as a force. Not in the typical way you expect a former MVP to view himself.

Not like Kobe Bryant, who needs the last shot like Bubs once needed his next fix. Not like a young Shaq, who considered himself the CEO, who wanted touches and needed things to go his way. Not like Derrick Rose, whose humble demeanor belies his late-game desire to shoot, to wound, to kill. Not like Paul Pierce, who can’t remember a time he ever wanted someone else to take the final shot. Not like Garnett’s own coaches want him to.

“I have no problem with shooting more,” Garnett told Jackie MacMullan. “The question I always find myself asking, is, ‘Will it be better for the team? Or am I shooting just to shoot?’”

“Basketball is so complex,” Garnett explained. “I feel like if there has been no ball movement, which is very needed in the game, I’ll sacrifice that elbow jumper that I know I can make nine out of 10 times to make the ball move. So when I tell you to move it, you can’t say to me, ‘Well, you’re not moving it.’

“I told [Celtics coach Doc Rivers], ‘I’m going to pass these next two shots up. I’m going to move this ball just so when we come back to the huddle I can say, “We need ball movement,” and the guys won’t look at me like I’m crazy.’”

Unselfishness, at once Garnett’s biggest strength and greatest weakness. We can imagine what he would have become with more of a killer instinct; with his unblockable fadeaway jumper, deadly midrange game and McHale-taught post footwork, could he have averaged 30 points per game? More? Could he have won a few additional MVP trophies? Labeled himself as his generation’s defining player? Has his unselfishness kept him from achieving all that he could have?

Or did it just change what made him great?

To understand Kevin Garnett is to understand you can’t judge a man’s character based on a single action. He has reduced Glen Davis to tears during a game; yet Doc Rivers calls Garnett the best teammate he has ever coached.  He has crawled on all fours in a show of utmost disrespect for his opponents; yet to see him play and hear stories of his work ethic is to know he respects the game as much as anybody. He has turned off many opponents, players and coaches alike, who dislike his surly on-court demeanor and foul mouth; yet any of those players or coaches would salivate at the chance to coach or play alongside him. He will scream and pound his chest and curse for 48 straight minutes, then make a Family Guy reference in the postgame press conference. He has been known to shrink from the spotlight, but when the spotlight’s on him good things always seem to happen.

He’s an unselfish superstar, in an era where very few of those exist. He has been told over and over that he should play more aggressively, but that’s just not who he is, or, more importantly, not what he wants to be.

“I don’t play numbers,” he told MacMullan. “I hate it when coaches throw the numbers at me. You can be 100 percent, but it doesn’t tell me if you’ve got guts or not, if you have heart or not, or if you’re going to quit on me. I’m not into that.

“I guess I struggle with that because I’m a person who will give you my last. I’m a loyal individual and I wear my heart on my sleeve and what I like to say my greatest attribute is I can make the next person better. I believe that. I’m stating that. That’s a fact.

“When you’re a coach, and you’re outside of who I am, you see a force that could be something different. I’ve never seen myself that way.”

Not like Amare Stoudemire does. Where Garnett shoots a fadeaway jumper, Stoudemire targets the hoop like Ray Lewis hunts down running backs. Where Garnett’s mentality tells him to make an extra pass, Stoudemire’s tells him to break a rim in half. It’s not that Stoudemire’s selfish, because he’s not. He just exists permanently in attack mode.

In a summer when Chris Bosh and Lebron James moved across the country to join Dwyane Wade, Stoudemire relocated to New York, all by his lonesome. He was the first superstar to sign this summer, and he did not need another star to sign with him (at least not at the time). I don’t know why he chose not to collaborate with James and/or Wade, when he could have made the perfect pick-and-roll partner for either of them. Maybe he was sick of playing second-fiddle to Steve Nash. Maybe he got impatient and didn’t want to wait for them to make a decision. Whatever the reason, moving to New York showed an unshakable confidence. Not only did Stoudemire willingly sign where the media’s scrutiny would shine brightest, but he did so without a partner in crime. He did so knowing that if another superstar would join him, it would be because Stoudemire was enough of a draw. Carmelo ultimately did join him, but Stoudemire wasn’t afraid to initially tackle New York alone.

Now, he’ll have to tackle the Celtics. He’ll have to tackle Garnett, whose blood will simmer for the matchup, who is probably locked in a cage right now, growing hair and howling at the moon in anticipation of Sunday night. The two are atomically similar but molecularly different, and they’re after the same prize.

The Celtics-Knicks playoff schedule has been set. Here it is:

Game 1 – Sun., April 17, New York at Boston, 7 p.m (TNT)
Game 2 – Tues., April 19, New York at Boston, 7 p.m. (TNT)
Game 3 – Fri., April 22, Boston at New York, TBD (ESPN)
Game 4 – Sun., April 24, Boston at New York, 3:30 p.m. (ABC)
Game 5* – Tues., April 26, New York at Boston, TBD
Game 6* – Fri., April 29, Boston at New York, TBD
Game 7* – Sun., May 1, New York at Boston, TBD

* if necessary

(h/t ESPN Boston)

What in the world? Ricky Rubio wants to play for the Boston Celtics? (New York Times)

“The bottom line is, why would he want to play in Minnesota?” a senior member of Rubio’s camp said this month. “He’ll continue to say all the diplomatic things, and Minnesota needs to keep his value up for trade purposes, but the family’s preference is to be on the East Coast, specifically New York, Miami or Boston. He wouldn’t be troubled if he has to stay another year.”

The senior member of Rubio’s camp makes a valid point: why the hell would Rubio want to play in Minnesota? For the weather? I don’t think so. The talent? Umm, not exactly. The general manager? KAAAAHHHHNNNN!!!!

There’s nothing about Minnesota that’s even a little enticing. Unfortunately for Rubio, he doesn’t have much of a choice. The Timberwolves hold his exclusive draft rights, and, if Rubio wants to play in the NBA next year, it’ll have to be with Minnesota — or the team to which Minnesota trades him.

And Rubio’s trade stock isn’t exactly booming. After what was widely considered a letdown FIBA World Championships (by “widely considered a letdown,” I mean Rubio shot 28% from the field while starting for the underachieving Spain team), Rubio’s play has regressed even in his own league. He’s now shooting 32% from the field, or, for those of you who want a reference point, far worse than Allen Iverson ever dreamed of. For another reference point, Rubio shot more than 40% last season. He’s supposed to improve with age, but Rubio’s development is in reverse.

And oh yeah, Rubio playing in Boston doesn’t exactly make sense. Don’t the Celtics have some other point guard who’s pretty good?

Now, I have to admit, I’m still fascinated by Rubio’s game. That’s the only reason I even blogged this story when I still believe the percentage of seeing Rubio in Boston is zero. Rubio’s like Pistol Pete, if Pistol Pete had been reincarnated with a pure point guard’s mentality and a drunken sailor’s jump shot. I have a full-fledged man crush with the wiry Spaniard who whips no-look passes for pure enjoyment, and a couple months of 32% shooting won’t deter that. Rubio’s the only player in the world who I could picture matching Blake Griffin highlight for highlight. I’m not even kidding.

That said, I bet the T-Wolves are happy they spent the 5th pick on someone who may never play for their franchise and no longer holds impressive trade value. I mean, it’s not like Darren Collison, Brandon Jennings, Steph Curry and Rodrigue Beaubois were all still on the board or anything. Wait…

The Morning Walkthrough is a set of links to Boston Celtics articles throughout the internet, designed to get your day started the right way.

Julian Benbow, Boston Globe – “At that third-quarter juncture, the Celtics had just let Danilo Gallinari drain a 3-pointer from in front of their bench. Rondo, frustrated as he went to inbound the ball, pounded the ball in frustration, then committed an ugly turnover on the other end, sailing an entry pass over Kevin Garnett’s outstretched arms in the post. Rondo came back to the bench upset. Rivers took him out and put Robinson in. ‘He was struggling and that’s why I took him out,’ Rivers said. ‘He wasn’t really happy with it, but we don’t mind that. The bench makes everybody calm down. It always has, and he did. I asked him if he wanted to go back in and he did. He wanted to play, and you knew he would. It won’t be the last time. But my focus was on winning that game, and emotionally you always have to stay under control.’ Rondo came back in to start the fourth, drove hard through the lane, but planted awkwardly, spraining his ankle. ‘It hurts,’ said Rondo, who has missed four games with foot and hamstring issues. ‘But all ankle sprains hurt.’ He returned with 8:35 left in the game. ‘We needed him,’ Rivers said. ‘If Rondo couldn’t have come in, I thought we would have been in a little trouble.’ Rondo said he would have X-rays this morning and expects to play tonight against the Hawks. ‘Hopefully it doesn’t swell up,’ he said.” Read more »

This isn’t a rivalry, and it’s too early to consider tonight a big game. Most likely, the Celtics will run away with the Atlantic Division this year, regardless of what happens tonight.

But it sure is fun to have the Knicks relevant again. And it sure is fun that they’re returning to relevance with a team that’s, well, fun.

It isn’t often that a regular season game is met with as much hype as this one, especially a regular season game that includes one team that hasn’t made the playoffs in six seasons. But this is New York City we’re talking about, the land of hype. If the New York City hype machine can make Sebastian Telfair seem like the best point guard ever, it can certainly make a 16-9 Knicks team seem like a true contender. Especially when that Knicks team has storylines everywhere.

Amare Stoudemire is grabbing the majority of the headlines, but this Knicks squad isn’t a one-man band.

Lets start with Landry Fields, the rookie who has already shattered expectations. Landry Fields isn’t as exciting as Blake Griffin (is any mere mortal?), but he’s overcoming steep odds to produce a rookie season Hollywood couldn’t have even scripted. From second-round pick to November’s Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month, Fields has come a long way in a short time. And his success is coming the right way; he’s all about grit, heart, unselfishness, and team play.

Fields’ story goes a little like this: you take a coach’s dream player; erase some of the dream’s skills (but not nearly all of the skills); force him to play his college days in the relative obscurity of today’s Stanford Cardinal, where he is ridiculously underrated; watch him be drafted in the second round; then see him become a fan favorite, and also a pivotal piece in New York’s quest to rebuild a contender. His story is not even real life. Except, ya know, it is.

Raymond Felton, too, has surprised in New York. There was a time (and it was only a month or so ago) when people doubted whether Felton could be Mike D’Antoni’s point guard. He didn’t excel in the pick-and-roll, wasn’t exactly pass-first and got off to a slow start in The Big Apple. Then, umm, he started to play the best basketball of his career. If the season ended today, Felton would be averaging career-bests in points, assists, and shooting. He’s still not Steve Nash reincarnated (is anybody?), but Felton is actually making a case for the All-Star game. If you guessed that before the season, you would have either been A) Felton’s family member, B) hammered, C) high as a kite, or, more likely, D) a hammered member of Felton’s family who was also high as a kite.

Wilson Chandler is another emerging player at D’Antoni’s disposal, and Chandler is learning how to piece together his impressive physical talents. Hell, he’s even learned how to shoot. He’s improved to the point where at least one scribe wonders whether the Knicks would be better off keeping Chandler, and their assets, rather than trading for Carmelo Anthony. Kelly Dwyer even called Chandler a “near-Carmelo.” That may be stretching it — if I’m Donnie Walsh, I’d trade for Carmelo any day of the week, and twice on Sunday — but still. Chandler has made New Yorkers smile.

I still haven’t mentioned the Knicks piece (non-Amare Division) who I am most intrigued by: Danilo Gallinari. He’s 22 years old, folks. He’s a 6’10″ shooter. And he’s already averaging 15 points and 5 rebounds per contest. When I was in college, and Gallinari was but a rookie, the Knicks held training camp at my school. I was a ballboy, and so I got to watch the practices. Gallinari couldn’t practice (his back was bothering him), but he shot around after one of the sessions. He made almost nothing but swishes from the three-point arc for about half an hour. Probably missed five times in thirty minutes. Then he switched hands, and started shooting with his strong hand. The first half hour, all those makes, had been with his left (and off) hand. I shit you not. He then proceeded to repeat his absurd shooting performance with the right hand.

I knew nothing about this kid, except that he was a highly-touted foreigner who’d just been selected in the lottery. But when you see a 6’10″ player drill shots from all over the floor, with both hands, it opens your eyes. When Mike D’Antoni called Gallinari the best shooter he’s ever seen, I understood where he was coming from. I still haven’t gotten over seeing him shoot that one day in the Skidmore College gym. The man could not miss, with either hand.

Has The Italian Stallion fulfilled all his promise? No. In some ways, he’s regressed this season after a big step forward last year. But, I repeat, he’s 6’10″ tall. He’s 22 years old. And he’s even kind of tough, despite his haircut.

These Knicks are actually quite enjoyable, and they have the New York City hype machine behind them, and so tonight’s game has taken on the feeling of an important one.

It’s not. It’s not a rivalry either. Just listen to the Knicks. (New York Post)

“We’ve got to make our mark first before we start any rivalries,” said Stoudemire, who is going for his ninth straight 30-point game after eclipsing the franchise record in that category Sunday. “We’re really just getting started, starting to regain some respect here as a team. We’ve got no room to start rivalries right now.”

Added D’Antoni, “We haven’t done anything yet. We’ll wait till we do something and wait till we threaten them. I don’t think they’re taking a whole lot of threat, this team is. We’re not there yet, but that would be our goal, to be that.”

But — rivalry or not, big game or not — we should enjoy tonight. Even if these Knicks aren’t true contenders (and I still strongly doubt they are), it’s nice to see them matter again. And it should also be nice to see two streaking teams collide, in what was supposed to be a boring December game.

Well, there goes the “Mozgov-Shaq” matchup I know everyone was dying to see.

Shaq was one of Timofey Mozgov’s heroes when Mozgov was growing up, and Mozgov enjoyed playing him the first time the two met.

“He’s huge, very huge, just unrealistically huge! Even more so in real life than on TV. I think he’s not calling himself an alien from another planet for nothing. I saw Shaq for the second time in my life. Not only that, I’ve played against him, played against Shaquille O’Neal twice in my career! You can tell my childhood dream came true. The only thing left now is to see Jordan))”

“You can’t even imagine how huge Shaq is, – Mozgov told Kirill Zangalis of Sovetskiy Sport. – I’m not sure that I could wrap my arms around him; he’s a real man-mountain. I’ve played against the Greek giant Sofoklis Schortsanitis, and it was impossible to move him. But now after meeting Shaq in person I understand why Schortsanitis goes by the nickname “Baby Shaq” in Europe. Compared to the original he looks like a dwarf.

“It’s funny that Shaquille puts four giant cushions on his seat, – Mozgov told Sport-Express. – Probably regular chairs are too hard for him. Some of our guys also put cushions on their seats, but no more than two. And there he has four! When me and Gallinari saw that, we burst out laughing”.