Walking with a slight limp while dressed in expensive blue jeans, a lime polo shirt, and a hard-to-find Louis Vuitton fisherman's hat, Paul Pierce was an interesting vision of cool after he got off work last night.
The mother of teammate Ray Allen ran up to him and gave him a hug. Several fans behind barricades begged for his autograph. One even began clapping as Pierce was whisked away from TD Banknorth Garden by Celtics director of security Phil Lynch.
As cool as The Truth may have played it, the excitement of the people he passed on his way out was more than warranted, as his latest in a long list of great performances may have saved the defending champions' injury-riddled season.
Pierce scored 15 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter and overtime to spark the Celtics to a 106-104 victory over the Bulls in Game 5 of a wild first-round series. The Celtics enter Game 6 in Chicago tomorrow with a chance to end this amazing series in large part because of the cool Pierce's late hot hand.
"Obviously, Paul, the shots he made down the stretch were huge," said coach Doc Rivers. "He got to his spots."
Sure, Pierce also had a great performance with 24 points in a Game 3 victory at Chicago. But other than that, he hasn't been his normal unstoppable offensive self for most of this series.
Pierce entered Game 5 averaging a team-best 23.5 points in the series but was shooting only 43 percent from the field, averaging just 5 free throws per game, and with a total of 15 turnovers. Even with the Bulls missing supposed Pierce stopper Luol Deng, he seemed affected by the athleticism of the Chicagoans.
How many of Pierce's jumpers have been blocked in this series (e.g., end of Game 4)? How little breathing room has John Salmons given him?
Against long, quick, and athletic big men such as Joakim Noah and Tyrus Thomas, Pierce's usual wide driving lanes were closed, his layups contested by eager swatters. Pierce also missed crucial free throws in Games 1 and 4.
"I was just trying to keep him in front of me and contest the jump shot," Salmons said. "That's what I've been trying to do the whole series. Be even with him, try to stay in front of him."
The Celtics were down, 70-66, entering the fourth quarter with Pierce struggling to find his game. He had 11 points on 5-of-13 shooting and hadn't attempted a free throw.
"I don't think it was something that was taken away," Pierce said. "If I go back and look, I know there were a couple shots where I was mad at myself that were open shots that I know I could make. I missed a layup at the end of the second quarter. I wasn't able to get to the line.
"They had guys clogging up the lane a lot. They have guys reaching. Maybe I can do a better job of trying to get to the line, get my rhythm going, and maybe that can get me going. But maybe better late than never."
The Celtics' season looked to be in serious jeopardy when the Bulls jumped ahead, 77-66, after a Noah lay-in with 9:28 remaining. Though the gritty Celtics trimmed it to 83-80 following an Allen 3-pointer with 5:45 left, the sharpshooter fouled out of the game 18 seconds later.
From that point on, Pierce felt it was time to take over in solo fashion, as he did in the days before the Big Three.
"I thought I had some great looks," Pierce said. "I missed a couple wide-open threes that I had, missed a couple layups. I never got down over the shots I missed because I thought a lot of them were good shots. I just knew before long they would fall."
His lay-in with 1:13 remaining in the fourth quarter tied the game at 91. With Boston down, 93-91, and 10.5 seconds left, he nailed a 15-foot jumper to tie the game again. He scored 9 points in the fourth and nailed all three free throws.
Two step-back jumpers of 16 and 19 feet over Salmons pushed Boston ahead, 104-101, in OT, and with the game tied in the final seconds, Pierce continued hitting his trademark midrange jumper with a 19-foot pull-up game-winner with 3.4 seconds left.
"I just thought I didn't over-penetrate tonight," Pierce said. "I took my time. I got some space off the dribble. I got into my sweet spot and got the shot."
Said Salmons, "He hit some shots. He hit three contested shots. They went to him a little bit more down the stretch."
After a postgame interview, Pierce ran through the tunnel, with adoring fans hoping to get a high five or some other type of acknowledgement. In Joe Namath fashion, he ran by as if it all was supposed to happen that way, while holding up a No. 1 sign.
Other than Kobe Bryant, there may not be a player in the league more confident than Pierce. So even with his offensive struggles in this series, deep down the captain always felt he would figure it out when it counted the most. No wonder he seemed so cool on his way home.
"It was phenomenal," Rivers said.
