BOSTON — An upbeat Joakim Noah said he’s feeling “awesome” and is “definitely” playing Wednesday night against the Boston Celtics. The Chicago Bulls’ center has been battling effects from plantar fasciitis in his right foot.
“I wouldn’t miss this for anything,” Noah said.
This is both teams’ last game before the All-Star break. While Noah wouldn’t address whether he will play in Sunday’s NBA All-Star game, all signs point to Noah at least attending the weekend festivities in Houston and perhaps playing limited minutes. This is Noah’s first All-Star selection.
“I’m worried about the game right now and focused on the Celtics,” Noah said. “It’s a big game, the last game before All-Star break. We want to set the tone. And then we’ll see what happens from there.”
Noah and Kevin Garnett have a long history of intense matchups, highlighted by double technical fouls and accusations of dirty play. Noah in fact once called Garnett “a dirty player” and following the Bulls’ overtime victory here on Jan. 18, Noah accused Garnett of throwing elbows and cheap shots.
But Noah also admitted before Wednesday morning’s shootaround how much he respects Garnett, who will be his Eastern Conference All-Star teammate on Sunday.
“I respect him,” Noah said. “I don’t know if you would call it a relationship, but he’s a helluva competitor. I know he’s going to try to do everything to win a game, whatever it takes. We feel the same way. It’ll be a fun game.”
Twitter @kcjhoop
