Joakim Noah dismisses drama with Kevin Garnett
No words seem to ring louder than tweets these days. Chicago Tribune writer K.C. Johnson went on Twitter after last Friday’s Celtics-Bulls game to share that Chicago Bulls forward Joakim Noah had some choice words for Kevin Garnett.
“He’s a helluva competitor. He’s always on some bulls*#t, trying to throw elbows, cheap shots, trying to get you off your game,” said Noah.
“When we lose, I feel like he crosses the line. But since we’ve been beating their asses, I’m cool with it,” Noah said to ESPN Chicago reporters.
“He’s a dirty player, man,” Noah said. “He’s a dirty player. That’s messed up, man … I’m hurting right now because of an elbow he threw. It’s unbelievable. He’s a dirty player. It’s one thing to be competitive and compete and all that, but don’t be a dirty player. He’s a dirty player.”
Yes. Noah did repeat the word “dirty” five times. Obviously Noah was emotional after a physical game and a hard win against a rival team. Noah later rephrased what he meant to say before.
“I feel like I was young, maybe talking a little bit too much,” Noah said. “What happens on the court should stay on the court. I was pretty vocal about it. But at the end of the day, the only thing that matters is winning or losing basketball games. You don’t have to like your opponents; it’s all right. At the end of the day, the only thing I’m worried about is this team and I think that he’s the same way with Boston. He’s worried about his team and getting them going.”
And what about the game? The Celtics lost to the Bulls 99-100 in a thrilling overtime, with Marco Belinelli hitting the winning shot with 3.1 seconds left. Noah had 14 points with 13 rebounds in 45 minutes; Garnett was 1 for 10 in the first three quarters of regulation.
Noah won this round. Garnett and the Celtics are just waiting for the gong to sound again.
