What's that they Say About Great Minds?

Given that Kurt Rambis replaced Kevin McHale as Timberwolves coach, there probably won’t be any embraces between the two, but would there have been any between the Celtics and the Lakers? No. And that’s the way it should be. The NBA has become a nice guys’ league of fist bumps, pregame dap greetings, and postgame laughs. And perhaps these pleasantries have adversely affected the Celtics, who seemingly have lost their toughness... we have reached a time in this league where players are too respectful of each other.

They interact as if they don’t want to threaten friendships. Opposing players joke during games, visit each other in the locker room after games and party together at All-Star Games and various other off-court events. Could you imagine Kareem and Walton sipping beverages together at All-Star weekend? Or Larry Bird signing his green-and-white Converses and giving them to Michael Cooper following a heated Sunday afternoon battle?.

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Sound familiar?

Gary Washburn's article continues:

“I tried to stay away from all that because I think it softens you up and you don’t compete as hard as you want against someone,’’ Bird said this week. “I know I had a hard time shooting commercials with different players because I knew I was going to be competing with them at the highest level three or four months later.’’

The lovefest has to stop, and some Celtics agree they have become too chummy, unlike the surly 2008 club.

“[Surly] was us when we won it,’’ said the king of surliness, Kendrick Perkins, who picked up a technical in the second quarter of the Celtics’ 96-86 win last night at Philadelphia. “We were a team that didn’t really care about nobody else in the league. I think we’re starting to be too friendly, see a lot of talking to guys. I think we need to get back to who we are. If that means no shaking nobody’s hands, then that’s what we got to do. We didn’t care about nobody else unless you were in green and white.’’