Paul Pierce Appreciation Thread

[Carhole]

I have never seen a hall of fame caliber player that takes more heat when things go wrong and receives less credit for his greatness. There always seems to be an excuse for the "haters" when he plays well or something to detract from him as a person or player lately it has been that he is jelous of Rondo and has a hero complex blah blah.

All I ever hear from the Boston fan base is that we just want you to always leave it out on the court/field be loyal and be loyal and be about team and I feel like that is what Paul has proven to be all about.

I have never seen so many fans of a team who are always ready to write or call into a radio show to say, "I am a lifelong celtics fan but I have never liked Paul Pierce" or some other comment to that effect.

He drives me crazy sometimes, he has a very "loose" handle that can make plays look like a disaster. He takes the emmitt smith approach to getting off the ground after a hit many times but everyone has flaws.

What I know for sure is that he busts his ass (and has always done so for us not just when other great players arrived) game in and game out. That he plays both ways. That he is the most efficient wing scorer of his generation. That he has dominated the last two Eastern Conference finals he has played in. THat he loves being a Celtic. That he has a ton of heart. That the dirty little secret no one in LA wants to admit is that (I am not saying he is better than) he has always been a horrific matchup for Kobe.

I love this team b/c i believe that this team is a true team. We can morph as matchups dictate. Rondo is the perfect pg for a team with these weapons. Ray's shooting and running is the perfect fit to force defenses into a strategy that benefits the other 4 players on the court with him. KG is an elite passer and mid range jumpshooter as a 7 footer (we all know he is bigger than 6'11") not to mention possibly the greatest help defender in NBA history. Perk is a beast as a defensive anchor in the post and at clearing space underneath and by setting 30+ picks a game.

The conversation of "who is the best player on this team" is so irrelevant. It changes from matchup to matchup and on how we have to play. We have 4 great players but for some reason I think PP gets lost in the hype and excitement of the next big thing or the shiny newness of the players brought in to help the celtics acheive their goals.

I knew we would win this series before it started (as many of us did). And never lost faith b/c I knew PP would score with super efficiency against barnes/pietrus/carter and that he would lock down half man half amazing. That is what true Celtics do. They step to fill the role the team needs to win.

The numbers dont lie 24 pts 8+ boards 4 assists 51% from the floor 1.73 points per shot and his main cover goes 29/79 for the series.

Night in and night out this series he was aggressive, efficient and determined on both ends of the court. One of our organizations greatest players gave us another great performance to set up two more weeks of basketball we are all longing for. We wont get to see him (or this core)do this for much longer - so I say PP thanks for all the effort from this celtic diehard I can not stress enough how greatly it is appreciated.

Now go get banner 18!

(Sorry for the ridiculously long rambling post everyone)

[misha]

He was tremendous vs Orlando. After Lebron, it must have been such a relief for Paul to play aginst what Magic had to offer. I still cannot forget all the negative PP threads during the Cavs series.

[Drucci]

Yep, Paul was an absolute beast in this series. Aside from his turnover in the closing minutes of game 4 and his 0/4 shooting in OT, he was the best Celtic player in this series.

He simply was unstoppable! And he once again had a big, big performance in a closeout game at home. Kudos for the Captain!

[EJPLAYA]

Paul has been stellar this series. He was the "Rondo" of this one. Glad to see there is still some juice in those legs and hopefully he is able to reproduce that in the finals. If he is consistent like that, then all we need is a solid showing offensively be 2 other starters, and one off the bench. With our D and that production, we are tough to beat.

[Bankshot]

The Captain is great in clinching games. 31 pts, 13 reb, 5 ast and 2 steals!

Paul is so under appreciated. I can't believe there are only 4 responses in this thread.  Shame on Celtic fans!  

[Roy Hobbs]

That was definitely a great series by Pierce.  His best of the KG era?  I think it may have been.

[wdleehi]

His series against the Lakers is still the best offensive/defensive performance of his life.

[ACF]

I've said it before and I'l say it again:

I love Paul Pierce.

He has got a b-ball IQ  that most players can only dream about. I can't believe how underrated he is.

[barefacedmonk]

I want to see a lot this of beginning next week.

[Birdbrain]

BBIQ + Heart + lifelong C = my favorite C alongside Bird.

Maybe even more so because he wasn't blessed with Bird's overall talent.  Pierce is a throwback that's gets by on guile and intelligence.

[Carhole]

Glad to see some responses, would have hoped to see some more.

The Truth deserves it.

BTW - I keep reading that Artest can shut him down....I find this very interesting since PP has historically eaten him alive in the playoffs and that was when artest was in his atheltic prime.

In the famous words of Matt Damon, "The Boston Celtics are coming...."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4UE2VLA4Gw

[ACF]

His series against the Lakers is still the best offensive/defensive performance of his life.

Until after the 2010 Finals 

[Celtics18]

Big Tommy Point to you, Carhole, for that "long rambling post."  I've always loved our Captain, and agree that he's never really gotten the respect he deserves. 

I'll go as far as to say that in a career full of big moments, last night's game may have been Paul Pierce's greatest performance to date. 

[TheReaLPuba]

Paul really never had a bad game throughout this series....and that's just incredible.

He's obviously getting older and maybe a step or two slower and can't get up as high as he once did but Pierce still has tremendous heart and unmatched guts...the guy just steps up and gets the job done when needed.

He'll do anything to win even if it means setting a screen...being a decoy...taking a charge...blocking a shot...making the "hockey assist" or yes even fouling out to save an easy layup/dunk.

That is the Truth.

[Jaycelt]

The lack of responses to this thread just proves your point carhole.
TP and much thanks for reminding the masses that no matter what the haters say, PP is the ultimate team player.  Whatever it takes, that's what he'll give you.