Gerald Wallace angers Kevin Garnett with shorts pull

Kevin Garnett is not Bart Simpson and would prefer you not try to eat his shorts.

Gerald Wallace nearly incited another Brooklyn Nets-Boston Celtics brawl when he grabbed Garnett's shorts after a foul during the fourth quarter of Boston's 93-76 win Tuesday. The Nets forward initially was hanging on to stabilize himself, but he exceeded the respectable time limit.

Garnett took umbrage and got in Wallace's face, with the two starters drawing technical fouls alongside Nets forward Andray Blatche and Celtics guard Courtney Lee.

"I don't know where in America you can (yank) somebody's pants off, or shorts off. I don't know what the hell was going on," Garnett said.

So yeah, the NBA started Christmas off with a near-brawl.

Garnett finished with eight points, 10 rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Wallace had 15 points, six rebounds and three steals.

The last time these two teams met, tensions escalated further. Nets forward Kris Humphries gave Garnett a hard foul, and Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo defended his teammate by shoving Humphries off the court. Rondo was suspended two games for the incident.

This time, well, maybe the Christmas spirit allowed these teams to resolve their differences more amicably.