From up in Section 138 comes heartfelt goodbye

Last update: February 7, 2008 - 11:19 PM

Three months into the NBA season, a woman so smitten with Kevin Garnett's energy and efficiency that she started the iheartkg.com website intends to watch a Boston Celtics game from start to finish for only the second time.

A Wolves season-ticket holder, Sonia Grover will watch tonight from Section 138. Last month, she watched on television the Wolves' one-point loss at Boston from opening tap to final heartbreaking second.

"I haven't been able to watch their games, I just don't want to see it," she said. "It's just too hard to watch your favorite athlete leave your favorite team and do so much better than your team is doing."

She has awaited tonight's game all season; it's the only one she didn't have to send out a dozen e-mails before she could persuade one of her friends to attend.

Disheartened when it appeared Garnett might not travel to Minnesota at all, Grover greeted the news that her favorite player has returned, if only to briefly appear before tonight's opening tip, with these words: This is the best news ever.

"I've been looking at that game as closure: KG comes and we all get to say goodbye," said Grover, who books acts at the First Avenue nightclub across the street from Target Center and compares her excitement when Garnett took the floor only to the buzz Prince generates when he steps onstage. "I'm not the type of person who cries at movies, but every single time they said his name in introductions I almost got tears in my eyes because I was so proud and excited for him."

She is over her disappointment that he won't play and thrilled that he at least likely will greet a sellout audience. "All I care about during that game is that we get our chance to say goodbye to the guy," she said.

JERRY ZGODA

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