Posts tagged PaulPierce at FanHouse

You may have heard that the Boston Celtics were invited to the White House to celebrate their latest NBA title. First we had pictures, and now there's video! At first it might seem a bit odd to give the President a Kendrick Perkins jersey, when you have (at least) three other Celtics' jerseys that just about anyone would rather wear. But as Paul Pierce explains things, it becomes clear that he's not only a better baller than President Bush; he's a better orator as well.



[via BDL]

FanHouse's Tom Ziller argues his ranking of the top 50 players in the NBA.

That photo isn't a glimpse into repressed frenzy finally relieved. In a league of smooth, abnormally calmed athletic freaks -- the small forward position being perhaps the most notorious in its coolness on the court -- Paul Pierce stands out as one of the most guttural, primal masters. His game isn't driven entirely by angles and head games. The Truth attacks with a rage and spirit matched only perhaps by a few others (his nutty co-star Kevin Garnett included). Each dribble-drive is more an attack than an attempt, each step-back a hearty slice of himself. The phrase "giving all that you've got" is worn out, but Pierce does leave everything he brings on the court. It sometimes works against him -- he's prone to ill-timed mistakes, he can try to do more than he's able to -- but it has, of course, at the same time made him a very special player.

As happens every year, President George W. Bush welcomes the NBA champions to the White House for a meet-and-greet. This time, the president adds a magic trick to his routine. Paul Pierce, obviously, adores the deceptive arts. (He's in the right building for that.) Kevin Garnett is a more realistic, skeptical man.

After the jump, Pierce unilaterally decides he's the most powerful man in the world and holds his first press conference.

A month after sending chills through the NBA by crumpling to the ground in Game 1 of The Finals, Paul Pierce finally had an MRI done on his much-discussed knee. And things look just fine.

"It's what we thought all along," Danny Ainge said. "He had a sprained MCL and a bone bruise, and he'll be fine."

Pierce reported this week that he had some lingering soreness, prompting him to get the MRI while he was in town to host his youth basketball camp.

Based on the sheer importance of Pierce's continued health for the Celtics to continue to be successful, I'm still flummoxed it took this long to get an MRI on that thing. It's one thing to avoid verdicts in the middle of a championship series. But there's been roughly three weeks to get it looked at. Has The Truth been celebrating that entire time?

It seems that the Celtics aren't ready to stop celebrating their NBA title just yet, as a group of them headed to Vegas to watch Manny Pacquiao win the WBC lightweight title by knocking out David Diaz. Check out Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and bandwagon-jumping Sam Cassell whop it up with Pacquiao in the dressing room moments after his victory.



The Celtics just won the NBA title, and were given more than their fair share of attention, right? How about letting Pacquiao have some of the spotlight for himself for a bit, huh guys? He hadn't even put a shirt on yet, and these guys come barging in and steal the show. Seriously, I didn't see celebrities like Steven Tyler, Bill Belichik, Donnie Wahlberg, or Bill Simmons (really -- that's the best you can do, Boston?) in the locker room with Paul Pierce or the delusional Glen Davis sharing the champagne on the night the Celtics won it all.

Note to the Celtics: you won the basketball championship. That doesn't mean you have the right to show off at baseball games, boxing matches, or anywhere else. It's been less than two weeks since Boston won the title, and it's no wonder that everyone who isn't a Celtics' die hard is already sick of this team.

Here's video of the Celtics being honored at Fenway Park on Friday night. Highlights include: the entire team running from the centerfield wall to the pitcher's mound; Paul Pierce throwing out the first pitch; the first pitch going high; Jason Veritek not being able to catch the first pitch; and Brian Scalabrine pounding his chest to celebrate said first wild pitch.

And at some point, apparently Pierce slid into second base ... Without the aid of a wheelchair if you're keeping score at home.

In the long-form tradition of The Rotation, Tom Ziller considers the action the morning after each game of the NBA Finals.

Proper perspective for the absurdity of Game 6 does not exist. The NBA can call this one weird season on infinite counts, but the sum of all other nonsensical haps in the league really cannot compare to what the Celtics franchise provoked on its way to the championship.

Boston's series win isn't a surprise: as Brett Edwards wrote last night, everyone knew it was coming after that mystical Game 4 win in L.A. But this? A complete blowout from the start of the second quarter? Garbage time?! Eddie House alley-oops to a 180in' Tony Allen?!? GATORADE ON THE HARDWOOD!!!!

Simply and utterly absurd ... but just real enough to change the entire face of the league.

Starting center Kendrick Perkins spent Game 5 in (really big) street clothes for Boston, catapulting Leon Powe into the starting line-up and P.J. Brown into the heavy end of the rotation. Before Sunday night's contest, Doc Rivers noted Perk wouldn't likely be ready for Game 6 either.

"I would say that would probably be doubtful," coach Doc Rivers said before the game of Perkins returning to the floor for Game 6 at the Garden. "But I don't know."

Did Boston miss Perk in Game 5? To the naked eye, Pau Gasol looked more comfortable in the paint than he had in the first four. The Lakers rebounded slightly better than the Celtics. Powe saw only five minutes -- nice confidence boost, I'm sure -- and Brown only managed to record 4 points, 3 rebounds and 5 fouls in his 25 minutes.

The real impact: Boston had to play small ball, which had some success but also allowed L.A. to push the tempo. The Celtics, with that insurmountable halfcourt defense, have been successful when they've kept the Lakers' transition game in check; playing quicker on offense themselves leads to L.A. getting into an up-and-down flow, which could hurt.

But more important than Perk's shoulder is Paul Pierce's knee. The Truth went hard for a full 48 minutes last night. There haven't been any solid reports on Pierce's health, but considering the pain Pierce was in a week ago, you'd be surprised if he weren't sore as Hades this morning.

In the long-form tradition of The Rotation, Tom Ziller considers the action the morning after each game of the NBA Finals.

All season, the nation gawked at The New Kobe. New Kobe is unselfish. New Kobe is a leader. New Kobe is a good guy. New Kobe is completely different.

New Kobe, in the fourth quarter of Game 5 -- an elimination game, at home -- was completely flummoxed, completely controlled by Doc Rivers, Paul Pierce and the Celtics. Old Kobe would have never allowed himself to be shackled like this.