Pierce and the Wheelchair

[ibby]

Let me preface this by saying that I am a Paul Pierce fan.

Paul Pierce has a reputation as a flopper around the league.  I don't think anyone, who was a superstar, has ever had the reputation of being a flopper to the extent Pierce has it.  The only other superstar I can think of who got that label is Reggie Miller.

Still, I remember watching game 1 of the Finals in '08 and watching Pierce fall to the ground and get pulled off.  I remember thinking to myself 'oh [shoot] so much for a [freaking] championship.  This [freaking] [stinks].'  Then I saw him come back to the court, hit those threes and the rest was history.  I also remember watching him on the treadmill during a television time out.

This to me was my Willis Reed moment.  Granted Pierce's injury was not as bad as Reed's was, but still.  Now I know the "Rocky" music might have been a little much, and the hitting of those threes so quickly after coming back surely only enhanced Pierce's rep as a flopper, but com'on.

What this leads me to is the overabundance of media.  What sports radio commentators, blogger, ESPN.com, and people posting anonymously on message boards (yes, I see the irony in that last statement) would have said about Willis Reed playing those few minutes for the Knicks?

So, and I am a homer asking (I hope) other homes, how much did Pierce's wheelchair in game 1 cement his status?  As a warrior?  As a flopper?  Or is it something that we will never think of again?  And if not for the internet, sports blogs, sports radio, would the incident perhaps take on a meaning closer to Willis Reed's hobbled performance for the Knicks?

[MattG12]

I would just like to say... before people comment by saying Pierce "faked" that injury:

Over the winter I was playing a pickup game at the Franklin YMCA (Gregg Dickerson plays there as well). I came down after a layup and hyper extended my knee. I was in excruciating pain and could not walk off of the court, I literally had to crawl off. I sat on the bench, and put some ice on it until it numbed up... 10 minutes later I went back out and kept playing. I kept playing without being an NBA superstar playing for a championship, so it does not surprise me that Paul Pierce was able to do so and I do not think Paul was flopping, acting, trying to get a foul call, etc. (Especially since it was Perk who came down on his leg, not a Laker)

That's all. TP to the OP, great topic. This was an amazing moment.

[BudweiserCeltic]

People just don't understand how tough Pierce is. He's played a full season after being stabbed multiple times and being at the verge of death, he has played with a torn meniscus, he has played after having his teeth knocked out, etc., etc.

I don't see, Laker fans for example, making jokes about Kobe's faked injuries because obviously there can be nothing wrong with his pinkie and his knees for him to be able to play like he does.

It's like watching Ray Allen knocking down 3-pointers and assuming that hitting them is easy.

[Cman]

Why is all this stuff about "Pierce is a flopper" coming up now?  Is Phil Jackson getting the media to focus on it so that the refs are influenced to NOT blow the whistle against the Lakers when Pierce is hammered to the ground?

Does Pierce look for calls?  Yes. Now tell me a superstar who doesn't.  Does Pierce fake injuries? I'll answer with another question: How do you fake blood?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WF583VAogjA&feature=player_embedded#!

[ibby]

Why is all this stuff about "Pierce is a flopper" coming up now?

I think that the flopper stuff was around as far back as when Pierce and Walker were leading the team against the Nets in the ECF.  But when your team becomes really good someone is always pointed out as either a flopper (Pierce) or a favorite of the league (Kobe).

[Bynum4MVP]

edit: self-moderated, didn't know the wheelchair incident was closed off to discussion by other fans.

[rjsuperfly66]

Yes, Pierce is a flopper, by definition of the word.

But in his defense, he has only started to do it more recently as a result of the change in officiating for the NBA.

Pierce's most notable flop jobs are when he comes around the edge on the pick and roll.  The guy clips him, and Pierce exaggerates the contact by falling down to get the foul call.  Now, the contact on the hedge is usually a foul, but rarely do I ever see it called.  So Pierce just exaggerates the contact to get the call he deserves.  

Other times, he like other superstars throws himself into the arms of the defender to get to the foul line.  Is he the only one who does it? No. But by rule in the NBA its a foul, whereas in college it is not.

Pierce just uses his "acting" ability to get the point across.  Rarely have I ever seen Pierce over-exaggerate an injury.  Hasnt there been a point in time where you took a crotch shot playing a sport and you just didn't feel like moving for a minute, even though you could have?  Same thing with Pierce, when all game he is swatted at, elbowed, scratched, bumped, except that makes him a "baby" and a "flopper."

I hope people quickly get over it and remember him for the true competitor he is, because when it comes down to who I would want the ball in the hands of in a last-second shot opportunity, Pierce is easily in my Top 5.

[fairweatherfan]

Pierce is more of a flailer than a flopper.  He tends to wave his arms around and jerk his head back to exaggerate contact more than dive to the ground to get a call.  He definitely does flop sometimes, especially when trying to get a charge, but he's much more likely to flail on a drive to the basket.

The whole debate is odd to me because it seems that flopping as a whole has dropped dramatically from its peak 4-5 years ago.  It still happens several times a game, but not nearly as often as it used to.

[ibby]

I do think that every NBA player "flops" to some extent, but I guess I'm more curious of how new media (blogs, internet, sports radio) has influenced people's opinion on the "wheelchair".  I really think Willis Reed would have caught a lot of flak for his "heroic" appearance in the Knicks Finals if new media had been around then.

[BudweiserCeltic]

People are just ignorant. They don't understand and can't conceive players playing through pain, particularly at an effective level.

Were Nash injuries faked given that he played with broken noses, chipped teeth, an eye completely shut due to a cut that needed stitches etc.?

Was KG's abdominal strain faked when he stayed playing with an injury that sidelined him for weeks?

Was Powe's injury faked when he kept playing in the Bulls series despite tearing his ACL?

[BballTim]

So, and I am a homer asking (I hope) other homes, how much did Pierce's wheelchair in game 1 cement his status?  As a warrior?  As a flopper?  Or is it something that we will never think of again?  And if not for the internet, sports blogs, sports radio, would the incident perhaps take on a meaning closer to Willis Reed's hobbled performance for the Knicks?

  Paul Pierce's status as a warrior (even an all-time warrior) was forever cemented when he played around 80 games the year he was stabbed 11 times about q month before the season started and nearly died.

[Carhole]

So, and I am a homer asking (I hope) other homes, how much did Pierce's wheelchair in game 1 cement his status?  As a warrior?  As a flopper?  Or is it something that we will never think of again?  And if not for the internet, sports blogs, sports radio, would the incident perhaps take on a meaning closer to Willis Reed's hobbled performance for the Knicks?

  Paul Pierce's status as a warrior (even an all-time warrior) was forever cemented when he played around 80 games the year he was stabbed 11 times about q month before the season started and nearly died.

PP played all 82 that year and didnt miss a training camp practice 4 weeks after getting out of hospital!

The larger issue for me with the "faker/flopper" label as it relates to the wheelchair incident is, quite frankly it doesnt make any sense!


1st you could see a 7 ft 250lbs guy fall on his leg and him go down awkwardly (not like the mysterious lebron elbow injury) secondly he didnt come out and limp his way around the court milking it or trying to make it look worse. He got hit, heard a pop and thought his chance at a title was gone. Trainers put him in the wheelchair until they got to look at his knee...it wasnt like they wheeled him out to the scoreres table on the chair and helped  him onto the court.

finally even if he did completely totally fake it, that would take huge balls! To go down and fake an injury only to know you would come back help win game 1 and win MVP of the finals is amazing. Maybe the greatest gamesmenship/calculated risk/show of self confidence in playoffs history.

[indeedproceed]

I believe Paul Pierce seems to be scared of being injured, but not scared of playing hurt, if that makes sense. He hits the floor often, and he often hits the floor hard.

One time out of ten he hits the floor (which is a completely unqualified guess I am making based on watching his play for some time), he will lie there either motionless or writhing for a moment, sometimes a trainer will come over, sometimes one will not, but he will eventually get up, and either sit for a few minutes or not leave the game at all.

I'm not saying he's weak because of this. I broke my ankle while playing rugby pretty severely a few years ago. Now, when I turn it or I think I hear a pop, I lie there for a second and try to figure out what happened. If I think its broken, I get out of the game. If I feel like I can run on it, I will try it out for a while and see how it feels.

As long as Paul Pierce doesn't sit when he doesn't need to, I have no problem with it, and if you have been following the man, he will play hurt without thinking twice. I can't hate on that. The man is a warrior.

He can just be a little wary.

[Change]

How can anyone question his toughness? The same guy who walked out of the hospital on his own 3days after a near fatal stabbing. The only Celtic to play all 82games in that same year.

The WheelChair incident, Pierce probably saw his championship hopes flash in-front of him when his knee buckled. Luckly it wasn't as serious. Fakers can cry again, when he smashes their hopes for the second time this season.

Weak, Very Weak

[j804]

About fans and bloggers going on and on about the wheelchair incident I dont blame them, it is fuel afterall we seem to be the most hated team nowadays. And to be fair change the shoes around if Kobe did that went off on a wheelchair and came back shortly we'd be all over him, bringing it up over and over again.

That said theres no way you can Pierce a flopper, yes he's a master at initiating contact and one of the best at it, but dont fault him for that. Thats smarts a skill. Floppers are Verejao, Zaza, Kirilenko etc hell even Fisher is worse every set pick he acts like he got hit by a car.