Paul Pierce doesn't want to make excuses.

Paul Pierce rebounds - and scores, too - The Boston Globe

Pierce said his sprained left knee was not a problem. "I’ve been feeling good all series,’’ he said. "I thought we really came out in the third quarter and established it early. We haven’t really had a great third quarter in this series and I thought that was important, especially because teams like to come out at home and get the crowd going.

He's "fine" he says. Hogwash. There was something wrong with him in games 1 and 2. Only he knows what kind of pain he's in right now, but we do know that whatever gets him going clicked in during game 3 and it was wonderful to watch.

Knee pain wasn't so Piercing - Boston Celtics Blog - ESPN Boston

"Paul is just a grinder," said Rivers. "He really is. You look at him at times and you wonder, 'How is this guy getting open?' He just has great fundamentals. He never does it with speed. He just knows how to play basketball. He's a throwback guy, that he knows how to play basketball. We jokingly call him our 'professional scorer' and that's what he is in a lot of ways. But, again, with him you could see early on, he missed layups, had no lift, and then all of a sudden he dunked the ball down the lane, he gets five offensive rebounds. I think guys like Paul and the Kobe [Bryants,] they have something in their minds that just make them who they are."

Pierce doesn't have to tell the truth about his knee, he just has to be The Truth and we'll be just fine.