We learned two things last night — one about the Boston Celtics and one about ourselves. The first, about the Celtics: they will not win the NBA title this year. A championship team knows how to impose its will on lesser opponents and would absolutely not lose a Game 4 to a team that won 29 fewer games during the regular season. They still are very likely to beat the Hawks in a series tied 2-2, but they will not win it all. The second, about us: we had assumed that after KG was traded to the Celtics, we would pull for him to win a title. Now? It’s not like we’re actively rooting against the Celtics or care that much for the Hawks, but our instinct upon seeing the score of last night’s game was to be happy. It was a surprising instinct, but that sort of thing doesn’t lie. Indeed, it’s how we watch games that involve two teams in which we have no previous emotional investment. Watch for a while, see which team is instinctively chosen, and go from there. With KG, the meter pointed toward schadenfreude. Maybe it’s lingering resentment that, aside from one year and largely through no fault of his own, he couldn’t make playoff magic in Minnesota. Maybe it was the way he couldn’t keep his emotions in check against the stinkin’ Hawks (also see photo) — a bravado we always felt came from an intense fear of losing that also pervaded many mediocre fourth-quarter performances with the Wolves. Or maybe there’s just no explaining these things. Think about some of the other athletes or coaches who have left in the past decade or so and how you feel or felt about them: Randy Moss, Daunte Culpepper, Johan Santana, Torii Hunter, Stephon Marbury, Flip Saunders, Dennis Green, A.J. Pierzynski, Chuck Knoblauch, etc. It should matter the circumstances under which they left (i.e. trade or free agency, on good terms or bad terms). But sometimes it doesn’t, and collective instinct takes over (just ask the catcher always booed at the Dome who helped the Twins to two division titles before being traded).

Questions: 1) What do your instincts tell you about Garnett and other players mentioned? 2) What happens to Flip or KG if the 76ers or Hawks shock the world and win an opening round series? 3) What do you think is the biggest determining factor as to whether you root for or against an athlete or coach after they leave Minnesota?

Fasola-link! Enough healthy living. Here are 60 things worth having it all end a little early, says Esquire. (And now we’re off for a 7-mile run).

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