Celtics aren't dead yet, not when they still know the game

If you predict the end of the world, someday you might be right. If you predict the onset of a cold, someday you will be right. And if you have posited all along that the Boston Celtics' varicose legs have reached the end of their usefulness, you might finally, this spring, be proven right.

If so -- if the Celtics' well- fermented trio of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce is facing one last playoff run together -- their appearance at Target Center on Sunday night provided a milestone of sorts for Wolves fans, as well as the majority of the attendees, who wore Celtics jerseys to the arena.

Whatever their fate in the bruising Eastern Conference playoffs, these Celtics at least provided an object lesson that probably sailed right over the Wolves' heads like a Jonny Flynn no-look pass.

This might sound like a strange assessment of the team with the second-worst record in basketball, a team that would have the worst record in basketball if LeBron James had stayed in Cleveland, but the Wolves actually have made good on their promise to upgrade their talent. They are, per David Kahn's mantra, taller, faster and more athletic.

What the Celtics prove is that winning in the NBA is not merely the result of accumulating talented physical specimens. Despite clichés to the contrary, winning in the NBA is about cohesion and team defense, grit and coaching, and offensive decision-making.

That's why, when Wolves owner Glen Taylor approved the trade of Garnett to the Celtics, he unwittingly did Garnett, one of the most prolific and creative cussers in NBA history, a bigger favor than the man who invented the seven-second delay.

Taylor sent Garnett, a prideful defender and consummate on-the-court professional, to a team of his peers.

So while the Celtics are a work in progress after trading Kendrick Perkins and waiting for Rajon Rondo, Shaquille O'Neal and Jermaine O'Neal to return from injuries, they might remain the most unpleasant team you can play in a long series.

During the Celtics' 85-82 victory, Garnett imposed his will near the basket and in the locker room. At halftime, with the Celtics beginning to squander a 25-point lead and newly acquired center Nenad Krstic struggling to score, Garnett and Pierce encouraged him to dunk the ball with aggression every time he neared the rim.

"I think the new guys are just adjusting to how we play," Garnett said. "We do things all-out here. We're not casual with anything we do. We're very aggressive, very firm here, and coming from the West Coast to the Eastern Conference is a transition."

Anthony Randolph noticed. The Wolves' latest project had performed spectacularly in his past two starts. The Celtics smacked him every time he touched the ball. Randolph, late of the Golden State Warriors, finished with three points and four rebounds in 16 minutes, demonstrating the difference between possessing talent and knowing how to use it.

"We just took away his first option, made him do things he didn't want to do," Garnett said. "Our bigs did a good job of taking it to him.

"He's known to foul, he's foul-prone, and he never got into a rhythm. I thought we did a good job of just taking him totally out of the game."

Garnett, wearing a purple sweater and tie after the game, said he returns to the Twin Cities every summer. "This is my second home," he said. "I've always felt very at peace here. The fans have always treated me very dearly.

"... I still come here in the summertime. I'm probably not downtown as much as y'all would like to see me, but believe me, I'm in the vicinity, I'm in the area, I'm on the lake doing what I usually do."

The Celtics' latest struggles might be a sign that their old legs are nearing the end. After his latest triumphant return to Target Center, Garnett didn't sound interested in any concession speeches.

"I'm very intrigued," he said of his team's potential. "I've seen it. I don't think the world has seen it. We've yet to be full-throttle.

"But promising days are ahead. I'm very anxious to see what we'll look like."

Someday, these Celtics will grow too old to thrive during the grind of the NBA playoffs. Garnett doesn't think "someday" is coming any time soon.

Jim Souhan can be heard Sundays from 10 a.m. to noon and weekdays at 2:40 p.m. on 1500ESPN. His Twitter name is Souhanstrib. • jsouhan@startribune.com