KG's angry toss leads to an apology http://www.startribune.com/503/story/272327.html The chain of events started on the other side of the court, in front of the Timberwolves' bench, early in the third quarter. Kevin Garnett thought he'd made a clean steal on Memphis forward Pau Gasol but instead was called for a foul.Garnett appeared frustrated. Moments later, with 7 minutes, 47 seconds left in that quarter and the Wolves leading by three, Garnett was called for an offensive foul. Unhappy with the call, he flipped the ball into the stands on the west end of the arena. The ball hit a man sitting two rows back and was followed quickly by a series of reactions. ‧ Official Bob Delaney ejected Garnett from the game. ‧ The fan was wheeled from the Target Center's bowl on a gurney and was attended to by a team physican. ‧ Garnett apologized twice; and just about everybody else in the organization followed suit after the game. All in all a bizarre sideshow to a Sunday matinee. "By no means was I trying to hit a fan," Garnett said. "If anything I was trying to get a delay of game. Unfortunately, it happened. I apologized to the little girl and her father." Things were being played so close to the vest that whether the two fans involved were actually father and daughter was never revealed. Not by the team, citing privacy issues, or by the fan who was hit, who declined to identify himself or talk with the media. But this much is clear: TV replays showed Garnett flicking the ball into the stands. One witness sitting behind the man who got hit said it hit on the right side of his face. After being ejected Garnett went and talked to the fan, then to a couple of teammates, then walked off the floor. Garnett left the Target Center as the fourth quarter was starting, stopping to apologize once more on the way out. The fan? He appeared stunned and was wheeled out -- with some fans booing him -- then was attended to while sitting, apparently in some distress, for a while before moving under his own power to a room. He and the girl walked out of the Target Center shortly after Garnett did, with the game still being played. "I wasn't trying to put it in the stands..." Garnett said. "I felt like [expletive] after that. Because I hurt my team, and I should have had a little more control than that. But when you're playing hard, and you're playing another good forward like Pau, it's frustrating when you play your top defense, trying to get some calls. That's difficult." Kevin Zenk of St. Paul, who was sitting behind the fan who was hit, said the ball didn't appear to have much velocity on it. "It wasn't real hard," Zenk said Asked how he felt the fan reacted, Zenk said: "Overreacted. ... You know, I kind of figured the Oscars were next week, but I don't know if the nominations are all in. He played it up." Garnett clearly felt bad. "It was just a toss, man," he said. "I'm an athlete, so it's going to have something on it. But I just tossed it, man. I didn't even really look at where I tossed it, I was so ... damned mad." Everyone else was contrite. "That's something you don't want to happen in sports," Wolves coach Dwane Casey said. "Nobody feels worse for it than Kevin. He has apologized a couple times. On behalf of the coaching staff and the organization, we want to fully apologize." Said Wolves President Chris Wright: "Whenever there is an incident inside of our arena involving a fan, we're going to treat it very, very professionally and carefully. "I apologize on behalf of our franchise, and I apologize to the fan." Now the question is whether Garnett, who was ejected for the fourth time in his career, will face a suspension. The Wolves will probably hear from the league about that today. --

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