Hawks forward Ivan Johnson might be in his first year in the league, but he's not afraid to speak his mind about one of the league's veteran standouts: Celtics forward Kevin Garnett.
"Garnett, he's a dirty player," Johnson told reporters after Monday's practice. "He gives me a lot of elbows, and I can handle that."
Johnson, a 28-year-old who has had his share of issues with his temper in college, the D-League and overseas, said he wasn't surprised that Garnett tried to get him off his game during Sunday's Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals.
"I was prepared for that," Johnson said. "I already knew how KG was going to come at me. They're a whole bunch of mess-talkers."
Added Johnson: "I know we're not going to fight on the court. I can handle it. I can take some hits. I try not to [hit back] because I'm usually the one that gets caught."
For more Celtics news, visit the team page at weei.com/celtics [1].
Links:
[1] http://www.weei.com/teams/celtics/home
[2] http://www.weei.com/category/boston/celtics