Pierce came up short
Usually, the Celtics are searching for a third scorer, someone to take the pressure off the high-scoring duo of Paul Pierce and Ricky Davis. But last night Pierce was on his own.
With Davis struggling through a 3-for-11 shooting night, Boston leaned heavily on its franchise forward to keep it in the game. Pierce delivered, pouring in a season-high 43 points, but he didn't get enough support from the supporting cast as the Celtics dropped a frustrating 106-102 decision to the Chicago Bulls at TD Banknorth Garden.
Pierce tied the record for points scored by a Celtic in the TD Banknorth Garden/FleetCenter, equaling Antoine Walker's mark, and led his team in rebounds (11) and assists (5, tied with Davis). But that was the problem.
While Pierce carried the load alone, the Bulls spread the wealth, especially down the stretch, when Ben Gordon and Luol Deng teamed up to erase a 7-point Celtic fourth-quarter lead (87-80). Gordon sliced through the defense and slammed home a two-handed dunk to put Chicago up, 95-93, with 3:02 left. Deng, who scored 12 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter, canned a deep 3-pointer on the Bulls' next possession, putting them in command. The two combined for 48 points and highlighted a quintet of Bulls who scored in double figures. That was enough to offset Pierce's first 40-plus-point performance since he scored 41 in Cleveland Dec. 13, 2003.
''Paul had a big night, but we had a bunch of guys who had success in tonight's game," said Gordon, who leads the balanced Bulls in scoring at 14.9 points per game. ''That's always going to beat a team, as opposed to just one guy doing it."
Pierce may have been only one guy, but at one point it appeared he was all Boston needed to win back-to-back games for the first time season. No. 34 came out firing. He scored 13 points in the first quarter and had 20 by halftime.
''He went around us some in the first half. We didn't get our help there and once he gets going, he's tough to stop," said Chicago coach Scott Skiles.
Pierce sparked a Celtic run at the end of the first half and into the third quarter that erased a 15-point Bulls' lead. The All-Star forward had 12 points in the third and buried a long 3-pointer that gave the Celtics a 70-69 lead with 1:57 left in the period. They held the lead for most of the fourth quarter before the Bulls tied the game at 93. But porous defense and poor execution down the stretch ensured that Pierce's big night would go for naught.
''We were able to rally, cut the lead in half, take the lead, and bring it into the fourth quarter," said Pierce. ''We just didn't finish it off. We're giving ourselves the best chance [to win]. We're playing hard enough, just not smart enough."
