This is the first of the 41 team techs to have been taken back after video review from the league. Kevin Garnett leads all Celtics with 10 technical fouls on the season.

No one likes the new nitpicking tech rules, which are trying to cut down on any complaining to refs (sorry Tim Duncan). That fairly obvious at this point, but unlikely to change anything. Somehow I don’t think this is going to end up like the “new” ball that was tossed after a myriad of complaints. David Stern is constantly trying to “fix” the NBA’s poor image, and this is just another way to do that.

Much like other recent changes (the ball, the dress code), however, this issue has generated the greatest buzz in the league during the preseason. It has even stolen some of the thunder from that team down in Florida (not Orlando). But the difference between some of the other changes Stern has instituted and the new tech rules are that nothing else threatened to have such a large effect on the on-court product that the league produces.

No sport feeds off the raw emotion of individuals more than basketball. It’s why trash-talking is actually a beloved part of the game, and why a single star can take over and assert his will on the game. Now, Stern and the league are trying to curtail that emotion that makes this game so great. As we saw with Kevin Garnett’s quick techs against the Knicks, a player can barely react to a call at all now.

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