Paul Pierce downplays injury, admits he was a step slow
Paul Pierce ran like every step sent a lightning bolt of pain down his leg. He always plays methodically, often with a pace that rivals a middle-aged man going for a midday jog. But yesterday he was clearly bothered by an injury he suffered during a Game 4 pregame shootaround.
Afterward, Pierce shrugged off the injury but admitted to playing a step slow. (Boston Herald)
“I don’t really think it bothered me too much,” said Pierce. “I didn’t really try to think about it. I probably was a little step slower, I didn’t have my usual lift that I usually do. But I don’t think it really affected me, too much. I mean, I’m not a high-riser anyway.”
I went to sleep last night thinking, “Damn it! Horford’s back and Pierce is injured and the Hawks finally started the right lineup (which took Avery Bradley out of the game) and damn it, Atlanta might have a chance.”
I woke up thinking, “Rondo played well for approximately 14 minutes, Kevin Garnett didn’t get enough touches, Ryan Hollins received entirely too much playing time and the Celtics reverted to miserable rebounding, yet they still had the ball on the final possession with a chance to close out the series, on the road.”
Somewhere in between lies what that game can tell us. The Hawks figured a few things out. The Celtics played in spurts. Game 6 might bring an entirely different story, or it could shadow much of what happened in Game 5. If Paul Pierce is healthy enough to make sharp cuts Thursday night, I like the Celtics’ chances. But no matter what he said about the injury last night, it definitely hindered his activity.
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Celtics Blog | Jay King | May 9, 2012
I felt the same way when I went to bed. Man, one had to wonder if we could even win this series. After all, the Hawks have a big time starting unit, and they are young, and now they are confident and motivated.
But I’m struck by the way the Cs player reacted afterwards. They all seem very, very upset, much more than normal for them. I think they are a group that is not going to take this lightly.
What’s clearer than ever is how much we need Aggressive Rondo. This kid really is the engine. We need all of what he brings. But if we have that, we can beat anyone.
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Exactly! Did you see Rondo score 4 straight points close to the end of the game? That was absolutely genius. If he played with that fire out of the gate tomorrow we’ll be fine. I really do think that’s all it comes down to. Against the Hawks anyway.
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Too bad they weren’t that motivated in the first half when they could have put the Hawks away, or at least set the tone for the game. Sometimes it just seems they need to toy with games and then when their collective backs are against the wall they come out and get mad, make blah, blah, blah statements and then destroy the opponent in the next game. Let’s hope they rebound a lot better, guard their men better, and move on offense better. RR needs more than 2 assists in the first half, too. That says it all right there. Go Cs…
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