There's No Crying In Basketball

Ok, so I know that the actual saying is “There’s no crying in baseball,” but I think it’s just as fitting and poignant in this scenario.

This past Friday, Boston Celtics big man Glen “Big Baby” Davis (that’s actually his nickname) broke down like a 3-year-old with a skinned knee, after being chewed out by superstar teammate Kevin Garnett. Garnett, who was on the bench at the time, had some harsh words for the Celtics’ reserves after they (Davis included) squandered a 25-point lead to the Portland Trailblazers. This is all pretty standard fare for KG, who often likes to play the role of player-coach.

The video above shows Garnett dragging Big Baby back towards the huddle during a timeout and then shitting on him (not literally, of course). Davis then stormed off to his seat on the bench, throwing his towel in discontent before visibly sobbing on live TV. Not sure where the actual coach, Doc Rivers, was when this was happening.

After the game, which the Celts ended up winning 93-78, Garnett spoke about the incident and discussed how he’d handle the fallout with Davis, “I’ll probably get real deep with him. Try to understand what he’s going through right now, research the problem. But Baby is frustrated a little bit with some of what we are doing. He just has to understand his role and not come outside of it.” Looks like KG’s doing his best Phil Jackson, Zen Master impersonation.

On Sunday, Davis made his first public comment about the waterworks display, “I’m not embarrassed. I’m not embarrassed at all. I’m emotional about the game. That’s one of my best features - being emotional, playing out there with passion. Sometimes it’s not always good passion. Sometimes it’s bad, but that’s just me being young. You have to learn how to funnel that emotion and keep it inside until you put it out.”

Personally, I’m of two minds about the incident. Part of me feels for Davis, and I understand where he’s coming from – it actually pains him when he doesn’t play well. And sure, you’ll say, “It pains everyone,” but it’s not true. Some players are content to put up lackluster performances as long as their paychecks keep rolling in – Randy Moss, anyone? And I’m not going to sit here and tell you that I’ve never cried over a sporting event – sometimes sports just rip your heart out and put it at the center of a bukake circle. Shit, to this day, two of the worst moments in my life were begot by sports – the Oakland Raiders losing in the 2003 Superbowl and Hulk Hogan losing to the Ultimate Warrior at Wrestlemania VI in 1991.

That said, there’s still no crying in sports, at least not in public, and definitely not in the 21st game of an 82-game season. Davis didn’t lose in the championship or playoffs, in fact, his team didn’t even lose the game. Crying in the third quarter of game is not only a little bit pussy, but it’s a distraction to the rest of the team. I like his fire and his desire to be the best he can be, but dude’s got to learn to take constructive criticism – especially from a future Hall of Famer.

Had this been a playoff loss, I wouldn’t be so hard on the guy. When Terrell “That’s My Quarterback” Owens cried after the Cowboys lost to the Giants in the playoffs last year, I didn’t hold it against him – you could tell that the loss mentally and physically brought him to the brink of a breakdown, and if you were a Cowboys fans, you probably felt the exact same way.

Whatever the case may be, Garnett should watch out for retaliation from actor Patrick Swayze. Why? Because nobody puts Baby in a corner.