Paul Pierce will play against Celtics tonight, KG will not
Via Chris Forsberg, ESPNBoston:
Brooklyn Nets power forward Kevin Garnett will not play Tuesday night against his former team, the Boston Celtics.
Garnett made sure to let reporters know that if it were up to him, he’d be out there.
“It wasn’t my decision. So that’s where I’m going to leave that,” said Garnett, who will sit out the game for rest. “I am trying to be as positive as I can be. This is not up to me, and I’m being positive. I’m trying to listen and go with the plan that was laid out for me, and being positive with that, so I’m trusting [Nets coach] Jason [Kidd] and what he has in store for myself and I’m going to embrace it."
Kidd said Pierce, who rested Monday and did not travel with the team to Philadelphia, will play Tuesday.
KG won't be the only player the Nets will be without, Deron Williams and Jason Terry have not played yet, and it's expected that Williams will probably miss this game. That means we'll see a heavy dose of Pierce going up against his former team. The Nets are coming off a win over the 76ers last night.
It's still up in the air whether or not the Nets will bring both Pierce and KG along for the preseason finale when the Nets visit Boston. One would hope they would save something like that for the regular season. Still, typically, KG puts the team above he or Pierce's individual wants.
“This is not about me individually, nor is it about Paul [Pierce], nor is it about Jet [Jason Terry] or any individual player here. We’re working toward getting better and I feel like every night we step on the floor, that’s the goal. And I thought we did that, and tomorrow’s another chance to get better,” he said.