Closing act?
This may have been his closing act. And if so, what a way to go.
After hitting two game-tying shots to help the Celtics beat the Magic in double-overtime, Paul Pierce hinted he may opt to shut it down for the rest of the season with an injured left elbow.
“I’ve been putting it off,” Pierce said in the Celtics locker room minutes after icing his swollen left elbow. “And I can’t put it off any longer after tonight. I’ve seriously got to think about [shutting it down].”
“My body, I’ve got to start listening to it. And the way it’s feeling right now, it’s a little sore. I’m really feeling it now. This is the most minutes I’ve played since coming back from injury. Every game it’s sore. I’ve been sucking it up. It’s just something I have to think about. We’ve got 10 games left. Me as a competitor wants to, but I have to think about the future also.”
Pierce banged the elbow in the first half against the Magic and said the pain was so bad he came close to asking out of the game.
“Pretty close,” said Pierce. “But the game was so close. I hate to bail out on my team like that. It’s been feeling pretty sore, especially logging this many minutes all game. But hey we got the win. Without pain there is no reward.”
Pierce talked to the Celtics medical staff after the game and he said will talk to them again before making a decision on the remaining games this season.
“I went back and talked to [Dr. Brian McKeon] after the game, told him how much I was hurting,” said Pierce. “I went back and iced it. It hurts for me to straighten out my arm. I think about my future. I’ve got to listen to the doctors. I’ve been rebellious, I know I have. But I think that’s just me being stubborn, being a competitor. But you got to be smart also.”
Pierce was asked if he would play in Philadelphia on Friday.
“It would be nice, but I just got to sit back,” he said. “We’ll just have to see.”
“I didn’t even notice it,” said Jefferson. “I couldn’t tell. He made every shot he threw up. That just shows you the guy he is. He plays through pain. Paul’s a warrior.”
Jefferson said he isn’t surprised Pierce has decided to play through the pain. He thinks the captain did it to see what the team would be like next year with Pierce in the mix.
“He knows what we’ve got,” said Jefferson. “He’s a smart guy, a great basketball player. One day he’ll be a great coach. So he knows what we’ve got. We’re letting teams know right now. We’re not playing [around] this year.”
Pierce may have also come back to prove something to himself.
“Coming back from injury you always have wonders about yourself,” said Pierce. “I thought I was playing better basketball right before the injury. You wonder if you can get back to that level. I feel like I am.”
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