It's been six years since Wally Szczerbiak took the court alongside Kevin Garnett for the Minnesota Timberwolves, but apparently bad feelings have died a slow death between the two NBA players.
Toward the end of the Boston Celtics' 115-111 loss to the Heat on Wednesday, which put them behind 2-0 in the Eastern Conference finals, Szczerbiak tweeted: "KG is another one who lacks the #clutchgene always has." (The message has since been deleted.) This was after Garnett missed five of his final six field goal attempts and turned the ball over with 1:16 remaining in overtime, but still, it was harsh.
After all, Garnett finished the game with 18 points and eight rebounds. He did shoot just 33.3 percent from the field, but at 36, Garnett was largely responsible for leading the Celtics so deep in the playoffs this season after many thought the team too old to contend.
Szczerbiak, on the other hand, is a year younger than Garnett and hasn't played in the NBA since 2009, when he averaged 7.0 points and 3.2 rebounds for Cleveland. By comparison, Garnett averaged 15.8 points and 8.5 rebounds that season for Boston.
Szczerbiak's tweet might not have been the smartest move – ragging on a older former teammate who's still relevant after you've retired is never a great idea – but it was just one message among many that he posted to his @WSzczerbiak account during Wednesday's game. Other messages included:
"KG never takes big shot for #Celtics now he's fourth in line behind Pierce Allen and Rondo to take clutch shot. Warrior all game though!!"
"KG was a warrior all game but in OT he was horrible on both ends of the floor tonight!! #NBAPlayoffs"
So no, it wasn't all negative, but it's the #clutchgene tweet that sticks with people, old spite dredged up that makes Szczerbiak look bitter and likely serves little purpose than to further fuel Garnett's anger-driven game.
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