How many times have you heard a crowd "boo" a former player who returns to his old court for the first time after a trade? I guarantee you this: you will NEVER hear that sound when Kevin Garnett steps onto the floor of the Target Center in Minneapolis.

KG was the heart and soul of the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Target Center is the 'House That KG Built.' Kevin has made only one appearance at the Target Center since his trade to the Boston Celtics. Unfortunately, he did not play due to an injury. He did, however, take the floor to greet the fans. And the fans greeted him in return with an outpouring of appreciation and support, bringing tears to the eyes of the future Hall of Famer.

Now, Kevin Garnett is a champion. During his post game interview with Michele Tafoya, KG gave a shout out to his people in "Sota." I am one of those people and , believe me, there are legions of us. In the month since game 6 of the Finals I've heard people in Minnesota and Wisconsin (yes, Cheeseheads are KG fans, too) comment on KG almost daily. If I happen to be wearing a piece of Celtic clothing, it's a given that I'll be approached by a fan to talk about the Finals. In every single instance the conversation has turned into a KG Love Fest.

Timberwolves fans were heartbroken to see him go, but we also knew that there was no chance of Kevin ever achieving his goal if he stayed in Minnesota. So, we said, "goodbye" with a lump in our collective throats and immediately ordered the NBA League Pass so we could watch our kid play in Boston. With blurry eyes and heavy hearts, we endured the "I Remember" commercial over & over again, but were glad the fans in Boston were embracing our guy.

The Boston community has much more than just a remarkable athlete in their midst; they also have a true humanitarian. KG is devoted to 'giving back' and although he doesn't like his volunteer work & charitable contributions publicized in the media, I can tell you, from personal experience, that he left Minneapolis a better place than he found it. But his activism has always extended far beyond the borders of Minnesota. He is part of Oprah's 'Angel Network' and has donated money to build homes for many Katrina victims. I'm sure the City of Boston is now reaping the benefits of his kindness and generosity as well.

Minnesota loves Kevin Garnett. Like proud parents, we were sad to see him leave home, but we delight in his every achievement and are thrilled that he has found success in Boston.

And next season, when KG steps onto the Target Center Court for the first time in his Celtic jersey, this Minnesotan (among many) will be there, wearing Celtic Green #5, cheering him on.

Bill Russell gets to keep his ring collection intact. Kevin Garnett finally has his own! The Boston Celtics are the 2008 NBA Champions.

"Top of the world!"

It's been a long time coming for Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and the Big Ticket. All three had been floundering for years on substandard teams. Coming together in Boston, they became a 3-Headed Monster that decimated the Los Angeles Lakers in game 6 of the NBA Finals.

The Lakers came out looking ready to play- it didn't last long. After a competitive first quarter, the C's put their foot on the gas and never let up, pounding the Lakers by doing what they've done best all season long. Defense! Defense! Defense!

This was truly a team win; Ubuntu on display at the Garden.

Rajon Rondo silenced all critics with an impressive performance which included 21 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and six steals. Garnett scored 26 points with 14 rebounds, Allen scored 26 and the Finals MVP, Pierce, added 17 points & 10 assists.

Bryant, the regular season MVP, finished with 22 points on 7-of-22 shooting.

When the reality of what his team had just accomplished started to sink in, Kevin Garnett was overcome with emotion. As his knees started to buckle his teammate, Leon Powe, held him in his arms saying, "I got you, I got you."

" I got you." Indeed. This team had each others backs all season long.

During his post game interview with Michele Tafoya, KG acknowledged his fans in Minnesota. I am one of those fans, and for me, losing KG to the Boston Celtics was a small price to pay to see him win it all.

I've said it all series long: The Celtics played like they wanted it. The Lakers played like they were entitled to it.

At halftime, Phil Jackson implored his team, "Don't give it away!" In my opinion, the Lakers didn't give anything away. The Boston Celtics went out there and TOOK IT!

And on his way off the court, Garnett screamed, "That's that!"

And that's all.

Okay, it's obvious. I'm a big Kevin Garnett fan. There are a lot of great players in the NBA, but this is why The Big Ticket is so special to me.

I grew up as a Minnesota Twins fan. I absolutely loved baseball and I was lucky enough to see the Twins win 2 World Series Championships (1987 & 1991). But in 1994 Major League Baseball went on strike. Kent Hrbek's final season was cut short, (which really chapped my hide, as he is a hometown Minnesota boy). Then Kirby Puckett went blind, Paul Molitor and Terry Steinbach retired and Chuck Knoblauch was traded.

That was enough for me. I was disillusioned and thinking I would never invest my time in professional sports again. While all of that was rattling around in my head, the Minnesota Timberwolves did something crazy: They decided to draft a skinny kid straight out of high school and offer him a contract so huge, it would change the game forever.

That skinny kid was Kevin Garnett. How was this kid going to deal with the pressure of being the first NBA player since Moses Malone to be drafted straight out of high school ? How was he going to deal with the pressure of that humongous contract? Was he going to fall flat on his face like so many were predicting? I couldn't resist; my curiosity was piqued.

Kevin's first game was against the Sacramento Kings at Arco Arena, one of those most hostile of NBA environments (at least back then). Not only did he NOT fall on his face, he seemed fairly comfortable out on the floor with the same guys he grew up watching on TV.

Kevin blossomed in the league under the tutelage of Kevin McHale and Sam Mitchell. He gave 100% of himself in every game, every practice. And he was his own worst critic. KG worked at improving his game during the summer and always showed up at training camp with a new set of skills. He has consistently been one of the hardest working athletes in professional sports.

However, that hard work was rarely rewarded when he was with the Timberwolves. Season after failing season, KG was forced to do it all by himself. The Wolves never seemed interested in surrounding Kevin with quality players, perhaps having shot themselves in the salary cap foot, not to mention the damage done by the Joe Smith debacle.

Following the promising 2003-04 season, when Kevin won MVP, and after witnessing all of the B.S. of the 04-05 season, I began hoping for a KG trade. As hard as it would be to see him go, Kevin deserved a chance at a Championship.

Finally, in the summer of 2007, the Wolves and KG pulled the trigger on a blockbuster deal with the Boston Celtics. I was heartbroken and elated all at once. I had been a Timberwolves fan for 12 years. Half of my wardrobe bore a Timberwolves logo. But when I really thought about it, I realized Kevin Garnett was the sole reason I ended up hooked on the NBA in the first place. So, call me a traitor if you want, but when KG left the Wolves, so did I. Call me a bandwagon jumper all you want. I may have jumped on the Celtics bandwagon, but I have been on the Kevin Garnett bandwagon for so long that I'm actually qualified to drive the damn thing!

So, my Timberwolves wardrobe was put in a box and set out on the curb bearing a sign that read "Free to anyone who still gives a sh*t". There were no takers.

Now, Kevin is on the cusp of becoming a Champion for the first time in his career. I couldn't be happier for him or more proud of how he has handled himself through it all. I'll be watching when he finally hoists that Golden Trophy over his head. And yes, I will shed tears of joy and pride for the man who introduced me to the NBA. I know there isn't supposed to be crying in sports; But, hey, after all, I am a girl.

I have to go shopping now for a new Celtics wardrobe!

Have you ever seen a bird fly into a window? They hit it with a sickening thud and then lay on the ground, stunned, not knowing what happened. As a Celtic fan, that's how I felt during the first half of Game 4.

The Los Angeles Lakers came out playing inspired basketball. They were energized, getting the whole team involved. Lamar Odom got his offense going early and Kobe Bryant was setting up plays for his team mates. They were putting the smackdown on the Boston Celtics and the guys in green looked helpless to do anything about it.

But, this is basketball. As we all know, a game can turn on a dime. And that's exactly what happened.

Trailing by 18 points at halftime, the game seemed all but over when the Celtics fell behind by 20 points with 6 mintues left in the third quarter. But the Celtics outscored the Lakers to pull within 2 points going into the fourth. The Celtic comeback was so similar to what LA did in Game 2, when the Lakers trimmed a 24-point deficit to just 2 points in the fourth quarter, it was eerie. But the Celtics did the Lakers one better and went on to pull off a win in the Hollywood Circus that is the Staples Center.

It was enough to drive the league's MVP to drink. When asked how the Lakers will bounce back from this loss, Kobe said, "Whine about it tonight...a lot of wine, a lot of beer, couple shots...maybe like 20 of 'em. Digest it, get back to work tomorrow. Nothing you can do."

No team has ever recovered from a 3-1 deficit in the finals.

While Kobe and his Lakers are tasting the bitterness of defeat, Kevin Garnett is only one win away from his first championship, "Yeah, I can taste it." KG will be celebrating his first Father's Day on Sunday. If the Celtics can pull off a win in Game 5 that day , it will only taste that much sweeter.

Tonight is the highly anticipated Game 4 of the NBA Finals. Chances are good that the Big 3 will show up and grab an on-the-road win for the Boston Celtics.

Even with sub-par offensive performances by Kevin Garnett & Paul Pierce, the C's STILL nearly came away with a win in Game 3. Pierce was in early foul trouble and never got his rhythm going. KG had a tough shooting night, but continued to do the little things that don't show up on stat sheets. Rajon Rondo twisted his ankle and didn't see much playing time after the injury.

Tonight, I suspect, will be different. Paul needs to watch out for "Flailing Kobe", who will be looking to the officials for a bail-out every time he drives the lane. KG will be on his game tonight- Rarely does he have 2 off games in a row. And after reading Rondo's latest blog, it looks like he's ready to go! (Since Kobe seems to feel he doesn't have to guard Rajon, I'd like to see the C's point guard drive it past Kobe's smug butt all game long.) Ray Allen, luckily, seems to have left his shooting woes behind him and the C's bench has been fantastic.

As for the officiating, WHO KNOWS?! It seems the squeaky wheel gets the grease, and Kobe & Phil are some pretty greasy dudes! It also seems that the Lakers never lose a game because of substandard performances...NOOOO! The "perfect" Lakers always have someone else to blame when they stink up the court.

I wonder who they'll blame tonight?

Game 3 of the NBA Finals is just hours away. As a Celtics fan, I honestly don't know what will happen. But I do know what I expect to happen! I expect the Celtics to go out there tonight and play the way I know they can play. I expect them to play 48 minutes of non stop smothering defense. I expect them to take the Hollywood Circus atmosphere that is the Staples Center and turn it into a memorial service for a dying Laker season. I expect they will come away with a win, preferably 2 wins, in LA. I expect it ALL!

The Celtics are playing like they WANT it.

The Lakers are playing like they're ENTITLED to it.

They don't just GIVE Championships away...