The coalition of talent merged into the original Big Three of the Boston Celtics didn't have the heavenly start that many expected. Nor did it have the greatest of endings.
According to Ray Allen's new book: From the Outside: My Journey through Life and the Game I Love, there was early signs of he and Kevin Garnett, two intense individuals, eventually clashing while wearing this new uniform.
Allen had a routine of dribbling in the locker room before every game as part of his ritual preparation, one which KG grew tired of rather quickly during a preseason outing in Rome.
via Sean Deveney of The Sporting News:
“No, you’re not going to do that,” Garnett said, according to Allen's book.
“You can’t tell me what to do,” Allen remembered responding, as teammates looked on. “You do what you do, and I do what I do.”
Both teammates had gone to a Boston steakhouse, talking about the pain of being in losing teams during the 1990s. To finish their outing, Allen asks the waitress for the check — a request Garnett quickly turns down in a less-cavalier way.
“No,” Garnett said, “I tip way better than him, so you better give me the check.”
That was the first time they had gone to dinner together, and Allen was quick to point out that Garnett had no idea how much he tipped.
“There was no point in arguing with the guy,” Allen wrote. “What struck me was that he felt the need to be seen as being superior to me, even in something as petty as this.”
The pettiness continued even after Allen left, with Garnett resenting him for his departure.
“KG would quarrel with his grandmother if she signed with another team,” Allen said.
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