Nothing is sacred, and little is secret

Do not underestimate the power of the tweet. The story took on a life of its own. ESPN was quick out of the gate, then the story hit local sports radio. Just after 4 p.m., Garnett issued this statement: “I am aware there was a major miscommunication regarding something I said on the court last night. My comment to Charlie Villanueva was in fact, ‘You are cancerous to your team and our league.’

“I would never be insensitive to the brave struggle that cancer patients endure. I have lost loved ones to this deadly disease and have a family member currently undergoing treatment. I would never say anything that distasteful. The game of life is far bigger than the game of basketball.’’

“I actually heard what Kevin said,’’ Celtics coach Doc Rivers said before last night’s 105-102 overtime victory over the Bucks. “What he released is what he said.’’

We’ll never know exactly what was said to Villanueva by Garnett, who scored 13 points last night, drew another double technical with Bucks center Andrew Bogut in the fourth quarter, and said afterward. “I’m a passionate player.’’

But the disclosure of Tuesday’s events was a rare window into what goes on between the lines, where the basic rule of engagement is that there are no rules of engagement. Nothing is off-limits. What has changed is that now we find out about vile garbage that dares not speak its name. We never would have known about it in the genteel good old days.

Whichever version you believe, it’s tasteless. It’s offensive. It’s way beyond the typical schoolyard, “You’re fat, you’re ugly, your mother wears army boots.’’ There’s nothing funny about poking fun at cancer. It is a universal scourge. It is off-limits in every arena of mankind.

But I can guarantee you that among the ballplayers of the Western world, Villanueva is the bad guy here. He is the one who broke the code.

“I don’t like the whole thing, and the fact that we are talking about it is silly,’’ said Rivers (who was particularly annoyed because news of a locker room fight between Celtics leaked in a similar manner last week). “It’s amazing to me that this is news. It’s not sports.