The Truth Is Very Confident

by Jeff Clark on Sep 25, 2009 12:15 AM EDT in Boston Celtics News & Links

Marc Spears got some good quotes from a very confident sounding Paul Pierce. Here's a few:

"Before the season even started last year, I was asked, ‘What is going to stop ya’ll from winning it all?’ " Pierce said in a phone interview on Thursday. "The first thing I said was, ‘If we’re healthy, we’re going to win it all.’ And I’m going to say it again: ‘If we are healthy, we are going to win it all.’

"I honestly believe that. I think we’re the best team in the NBA, healthy."

Can't say I can argue with that.

Paul gives us an update on Garnett as well.

Garnett has resumed practicing with the Celtics. He played "a couple days" last week, Pierce said, but is still working his way back from the injury.

"It wasn’t like he was out there [screaming] and dunking," Pierce said. "No, none of that. But he was out there on the court."

Comparing this year to 2008:

Are the current Celtics better than the 2008 NBA championship team?

"We’re more talented now," Pierce said. "It’s hard to say if we’re better. We’re definitely more talented and we had more depth than when we won it all."

He has some wise advice on how Rondo should deal with trade rumors (speaking from experience)

"A lot of guys lose confidence when you hear trade rumors," Pierce said. "They don’t think they’re good enough. They think they’re expendable.

"Rondo’s got to understand that’s part of the business. I was making All-Star teams and still hearing trade rumors. It just goes with the territory. You got to have thick skin in this business."

Finally, don't talk to Paul about the past.

"All that we did in 2008 is over with," Pierce said. "[That] doesn’t mean nothing with this team. We need to go out there and prove something. Rasheed is here to win a championship. That’s why he came, and that’s all we talk about. We’ve stopped talking about what happened in 2008.

"When someone brings it up, I don’t want to hear it. That’s in the past."

Also in a different article (but likely the same interview) Spears gets some comments from Pierce criticizing the referee lockout.

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Comments

have to love PP for his honesty

by chanter on Sep 25, 2009 1:21 AM EDT reply actions

So KG is OK

Good, we close the book on this discussion until otherwise is clearly evident.

by Tai on Sep 25, 2009 1:29 AM EDT reply actions

Hmm, i dont find what Paul said about KG encouraging whatsoever,,hes out there on the court without his intensity standing around not being able to play..woo

by latin on Sep 25, 2009 2:34 PM EDT up reply actions

What we really want {and don`t want} to hear...

Want : “KG was out there screaming & dunking!”

Don`t want : “He was out there on the court.”

by Title 18 on Sep 25, 2009 9:13 AM EDT reply actions

Wait and see

Well, no huge surprise, it is all about “health”.

Just wondering why no mention was made in May after the operation that they would wait until the end of Sept. before letting KG touch a basketball on the court, yet we have been told all along he was “ahead of schedule”.

Fine if true, but why not give the fans the “wait until the end of Sept. to touch a ball news” schedule in late May then?

by brianceltfan on Sep 25, 2009 12:47 PM EDT reply actions

The KG thing does not sound optmistic.

Has anyone even seen him run up and down the court?

by thereallargejames on Sep 25, 2009 3:22 PM EDT reply actions

That's funny...

…all comments about what Paul said about KG. While it doesn’t sound like awesome news, it sounds pretty good. Why would Paul be so confident about the season if he wasn’t confident about KG? Do you really think he is saying they would win it all if KG was healthy, knowing KG isn’t healthy? That would be weird.

I don’t think Paul is up to date on the ‘staples’ rumor, so I wouldn’t worry about it. If there was something wrong, his attitude would be much different.

by jambr380 on Sep 25, 2009 10:29 PM EDT reply actions

Why? he includes “if we’re healthy” in everything he says, meaning hes concerned about the team staying healthy, and Im sure the entire team is worried about KG, they arent going to come out and say it, thats a given

by latin on Sep 26, 2009 11:03 AM EDT up reply actions