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Paul Pierce and Jeff Green carried the Celtics offense last night. So it is a bit surprising that Pierce did most of that working on one good leg.
Celtics, Knicks talk of potential playoff matchup - Celtics - Boston.com
Celtics captain Paul Pierce turned his right ankle in the first quarter of Sunday night’s 108-89 loss to the New York Knicks and coach Doc Rivers said Pierce will "probably" sit out Monday night’s game at the Minnesota Timberwolves.
That's right, he injured the ankle in the first quarter but finished out the game (which turned out to be a rout) anyway. Steve Bulpett is right, he's got a bit of hockey player in him.
Sadly, it wasn't in a winning effort and his teammates let him down last night. He points out to not closing out on shooters (Knicks made 12 of their first 17 three pointers), poor defensive rotations, and too much isolation. But it pretty much boils down to lack of execution and effort, and that's disappointing.
On the flipside, ever the optimist and the motivational pupil of Doc Rivers, Paul Pierce is still confident about the playoffs.
Paul Pierce frustrated with effort | Boston Herald
"We like how we match up with the Knicks," Pierce said after finishing 1-3 against them. "We like how we match up with Miami. We like how we match up with pretty much anybody in the East, so whether it be them, whether it be Indiana, Miami, right now we just want to try to get into the playoffs playing well."
The funny thing is that he's right. This ship has set sail and the destination is the playoffs. There may be rough waters between here and there, but the destination is all that matters. Once there, they will put up their best sails, batten down the hatches, and see just what this old ship has left in it.
Just don't expect the next couple of weeks to be pretty.