The guy re-entered Game One of The Finals last night, after hearing a pop in his knee and being carried off the court, only to hit two huge three-pointers in a row.

Willis Reed comparisons are valid. I've watched this guy play with some pretty bad teams and I am proud of the way he came back; he knows this is his best/only shot at a ring. Now, let's hope it wasn't just adrenaline that carried him through the remainder of that game. But after reading this piece on ESPN.com, it's apparent this guy could barely walk after the game.

Let's go Pierce!

From ESPN: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2 ... erce-Game1

"As he walked to his car, Pierce was still wearing his warm-ups. The snaps along the right side were hanging open, revealing a wrapping of several ace bandages from the bottom of his calf to the top of his thigh, an additional layer of white tape wrapped around the lower half of his hamstring, ending just above his knee.

Pierce and his teammates thought the worst after this sight.

Pierce's feet moved no more than 12 inches with each step, and as you watched him begin to navigate the four flights of stairs from the locker-room level to the players' parking lot, you couldn't help but wonder exactly how much adrenalin had fueled his comeback, and whether that knee injury wasn't going to end up keeping him out of Game 2, or at the very least reducing him to 50 percent of the player he usually is."

They don't have a fucking elevator?

what a trooper though

Good player, though if I'm creating a "Celtics player appreciation thread" I'd go with KG. Still gutsy effort last night.

Pierce has been with the team for 10 years; while KG is certainly the spark plug/major talent they needed to turn it around, the heart and soul of the team remains Pierce.

Basically, none of the New Three could have done this alone, but I created this thread in honor of Pierce...I mean everyone forgets he almost got stabbed to death four or five years ago. You can see the scars (on HD) on his back/neck.

comparisons to the typical "injury" in professional soccer are valid.



Willis Reed's leg was about to be amputated and he was only able to play after taking 37 injections from a 10 inch needle. You can look it up.

the Reed comparison is made EVERY single time a player gets hurt. its a joke. they do it to Kirk Gibson too everytime theres a dramatic home run.

stop it

the thing about Reed is that his performance gets overrated...he only hit those two shots and that was IT for the game. Clyde did the rest. The part of the story about him taking a pain killing injection in his hip from a gigantic needle is supposedly true though...

Dwyane Wade was impressed.

Paul's game have been turned him into an aggressive player who attacks the rim more than ever. When he and Walker were around in the late 90's and early 2000's, Paul was shooter and hard ever drove to the rim. This season totally changed though, he's been playing back-to-the-basket style and using that spin move effectively.

I'd like to see more of this from Pierce. A lot of people think that the Celtics under Pierce's era prior to the 07-08 season was bad but actually they've had some good playoff runs including the '02 playoffs where they made it to the East Finals by knocking off the Pistons.

Keep up the good work Paul!

I like Paul Pierce a lot.

It obviously wasn't all bad...but they had a few losing seasons with him as the franchise player, and that goes on the resume.

Never really liked the guy or thought he was all that great.

Of course he's a perrenial all-star, so go figure...

Just not in love with his game - he doesn't seem that flashy or athletic.

By the way, I'm rooting for the C's in the finals. Well, actually, I'm rooting for 7 close games...with the C's winning game 7.

Comparisons to the Willis Reed event are actually right on...want proof?

Please tell me the last time that an NBA player in a BIG GAME and with apparently no shot at playing, emerged from the gym's tunnel to such a thunderous ovation. I think the comparison is right on. The crowd did, too. 18,000 fans chanted Willis Reed.

When Pierce went down, I thought the season was over. And so did a lot of other Celts fans. We are not out of the woods yet; guy is not going to be able to slash and dash to the basket.

Never liked him that much or thought he was all that great.

Of course he's a perrenial all-star, so go figure...but I could probably name dozens of current players that I like more / think are better.

Just not in love with his game - he doesn't seem that flashy or athletic...but he plays hard so you gotta at least respect him. And he's stuck it out with one team his whole career...I like to see that, it's a dying breed.

By the way, I'm rooting for the C's in the finals. Well, actually, I'm rooting for 7 close games...with the C's winning game 7.

You got your Stanley, get over the Celtic-Piston series!

the comparison isn't valid because Pierce obviously couldn't have been THAT injured if he came right back out after a grand total of FIVE minutes.

the in game drama is on par. also, let's not forget the fact that after the finals are over there's a real good shot Pierce will need surgery...he might never be the player he is now, given that he is playing had on an injured knee.

2-0, Celts.