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Steph and KG, before the fall, in this undated photo.
The pairing of prodigious point guard Stephon Marbury and prolific power forward Kevin Garnett once promised to push our perpetually pitiable Timberwolves franchise to NBA pre-eminence. And when things fell apart in 1999, fans from Fridley to Fergus Falls were left fingering their foreheads and muttering a favorite colorful superlative that doesn’t start with the letter ‘p’.
Get ready to mutter again.
In moves this week meant to clear cap space, the Boston Celtics canned Sam Cassel and Patrick O’Bryant, in what seems to be a push to sign the quixotic Marbury. This is the word on the street according to hoops guru and Celts fan Aron Phillips at Dime Magazine.
And Phillips isn’t the only one rooting for the Marbury-Garnett reunion. Bostonian blogger Liam Martin, who writes well and daily for NESN, thinks it’ll happen too.
“It makes sense,” Martin said. “[Marbury] is 31, he’s a three-time all-star, and he gives them a scoring option off the bench.”
Personally, I’d rather watch a week-long reel of Randy Breuer highlights – collegiate and professional – while hanging inverted from my toes than see this gutting hypothetical come to fruition and end in another Celtics championship. And even better: Joe Smith might join the party, too.
Who’s next? Latrell Fontaine Sprewell? They could bring the trophy back to Boston on his yacht, wearing nautical-theme pashmina afghans:
But how sweet it was:
Comments
Aw, man, you're killing me Sols (Smalls). I was there then. We went to the playoffs for the first time. We, in the front office, thought the sky was the limit--and Charles Barkley, that astute student of the game, told KG and Steph as much. I wrote a story for the Wolves game program about the pair called "Fire and Ice" and Steph was walking around the locker room with it enjoying that he was "Ice." "Some say the world will end in fire, Some say in ice." It was ice. Steph ended it. Given time, he will ice Boston's reign as well.
Great story Solomon. I like the old school Steph/KG highlights with the Kevin Harlan voiceover. Makes me miss those days before Marbury forced his way out. Then not so much...
Joe -- Love the Sandlot ref. I'm sporting my PF Flyers in proud celebration. Send me that Fire & Ice story! I'd love to read it...
Chris -- I'd bet some serious cash that if Harlan were still covering games, more people'd be watching. Nothing against Hanny and Pete, cause I dig them, too.
"Glory days they'll pass you by" my friend. It wasn't long ago the T-wolves were the class of the Western Conference, or so called NBA experts. The year after we broke the 1st round and out streak and were slated for the NBA Finals, did we even make the playoffs?
P Nelson: '04-'05 was the beginning of the end: contract disputes, Flip's firing, etc. It's a struggle to find light at the end of this tunnel.
Marbury, the Great! Only problem is that no defense will be played...
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