I think it's time for Doc to sit the Captain.

[Celtics18]

Sit Paul Pierce, and we introduce a scenario where we can lose this series. Stop being so silly and reactionary. Was Pierce's big plays in game 1 not important, especially that huge blocked shot in the first half?

We sit Pierce, we make this series infinitely easier on the 76ers. Don't be crazy.

I'm not being reactionary.  I've been having this thought for a few days now.  I've kind of been arguing with myself over the idea.  

On the one hand, it could definitely backfire.  If Doc were to sit Pierce, and we lose game three and ultimately the series, he would never hear the end of it.  On the other hand, if we win the game without him, there's almost no doubt that he'd come back looking stronger for the next one.  

Maybe it would even give him a chance to heal up whatever's bothering him physically as we look to move forward.  

The point is undoubtedly moot anyway.  There's surely no way that Paul Pierce misses a game unless the Doctors say he can't walk.

[bostonman1]

Not for sitting Pierce the entire game but he should definitely have been on the bench more in the 4th quarter.

Interesting stat from the game recap on espn.com ---

Andre Iguodala held Paul Pierce to 1-6 shooting and forced four turnovers when he guarded the Celtics all-star forward in Game 2. For the series, Pierce is shooting 26.7 percent when guarded by Iguodala and has more turnovers (6) than field goals (4).

Pietrus had hit 2 huge 3's and was playing great defense.  Yet Doc took him out right after and brought back Pierce for the rest of the game.

What happened to riding the hot player and the lineup that was playing well?  How can Doc not even leave Pietrus in to see if he could really catch fire as he has done in the past.

And Pierce did make a nice defensive play late when the Sixers had a 24 sec violation.  However he was also the victim on Philly scoring plays late.  Igoudala and Turner hit shots with Pierce guarding them but the biggest was Holiday hitting a 3 with Pierce unable to step out quickly enough to contest it.

Doc made some terrible coaching moves tonight, not the least of which was taking out a hot Pietrus far too early and instead relying on a struggling Pierce to finish the game.

[Celts Fan 92]

lol sit him for who? Pierce obviously isnt 100% but i have him comin out WAY more aggressive da rest of this series he's missed a lot of good midrange looks so far so i aint trippin to the extent of some of u dudes

[17wasEZ]

Hes not getting it done because he isnt taking the game seriously and is playing careless, he doesent look injured to me anymore, he looks lazy and lethargic, typical "coasting" Pierce.

We have seen this movie before.

A buddy of mine echoed those comments last week.  He said during game 6 of the Atlanta series that Pierce seemed lazy and not into the game.  His passes have been very lazy. The guy is a Bulls fan and was just making an observation.

We all know what Pierce is capable of.  He's gotta go out and do it now!

[Galeto]

I can't be too hard on Pierce.  He's obviously hurt.  It's not like he's not trying; he's just not capable of playing at a higher level with the way his knee is.  In game 6 against Atlanta and game 1 against Philly, most of his shots were short right out of his hand, which is not like him.

I thought tonight his shot looked better, had more legs but they still didn't go in.  Taking off his knee brace might've been the reason but it had the double-edged effect of worsening his defense.  Surprisingly, while his offense has nosedived with his injury, his defense has remained strong.  He's been able to consistently keep his man in front of him and he made a bunch of big defensive stops in the fourth quarter of game 1: blocking Iguodala's turnaround, forcing a bad miss from Turner and getting out to Lou Williams and contesting a miss.  Tonight, perhaps because he knee wasn't as supported, his defense suffered.

[Galeto]

I wouldn't expect a good game from Pierce until game 5 at least when the Celtics will have two days off between games.  Using the 2008 finals as a guide, Pierce really labored then with only one day off but was outstanding with two days to get treatment. 

To say that he isn't injured anymore is ridiculous.  Sprained MCLs don't heal without sustained rest.  Playing every other day prevents the healing process from beginning.  How is this even debatable?

[nickagneta]

Benching a team captain and a team's highest scorer during a playoff run is juat plain.....let me be nice and say that invading Russia in the middle of winter during a land war is probably a smarter idea.

[albas89]

Benching a team captain and a team's highest scorer during a playoff run is juat plain.....let me be nice and say that invading Russia in the middle of winter during a land war is probably a smarter idea.

Not benching, but sitting him out for one game... and you're missing a crucial point, he's playing injured.

[bostonman1]

Benching a team captain and a team's highest scorer during a playoff run is juat plain.....let me be nice and say that invading Russia in the middle of winter during a land war is probably a smarter idea.

Benching Pierce isn't going to accomplish much even despite his injuries.  Boston isn't good enough to win without him.

However it is perfectly reasonable to say that Doc should have allowed Pietrus to stay in the game longer in the 4th quarter.  Pietrus had finally hit a couple threes and the C's had come from down 8 to only down 2.  Perimeter shooters such as Pietrus can catch fire at any time and he appeared ready to explode.  The Celtic's had taken back control of the game at that point.

Keep in mind there were still 7:46 left in the game when Pierce returned.  It wasn't a situation where it was crunch time and Doc went with his Captain to finish the game.  There was no reason for Doc not to leave Pietrus in a couple more minutes.  At the very least to give him a couple more shot opportunities and see if he was truly ready to catch fire.

What happened to the old axiom of staying with what's working and getting the hot shooter open looks?  To take out a player who at the time was hitting shots and sparking the team's dreadful offense while not even giving him the chance to continue is a poor coaching decision.  There was plenty of time left in the game to reinsert Pierce and to have him fresher for the stretch run. 

Doc Rivers pulled the trigger far too early tonight in bringing back Paul Pierce...

[Celtics18]

Benching a team captain and a team's highest scorer during a playoff run is juat plain.....let me be nice and say that invading Russia in the middle of winter during a land war is probably a smarter idea.

You're probably right.  It probably is stupid, but if his body won't allow him to perform like he's capable of, then it may just make sense to give him the next three days off right now to see if he can heal up a little. 

I don't know.  It's hard to watch him looking the way he looked out there tonight.  Whatever gets him right is all I'm looking for.  If he's just too injured to get right, then we might be in deep trouble.

Either way, the next time I see Paul Pierce step out on the court wearing the green jersey, I expect to see the Truth.

[Bahku]

No way ... the message that sends is just plain detrimental to everyone on our team, not just Pierce.

It's basically saying that you no longer have much faith in your captain, number one player, superstar, and primary clutch "go-to" guy.

Should he have fewer minutes until he is nearer to 100%? That's a question worth considering.

But you can give a guy adjusted minutes without changing him from the starting position he's had for his entire career.

(That's why I wish Ray were still starting ... I think it would be better for the emotional state of the team, and his minutes can still be cut, if need be).

[guava_wrench]

Hes not getting it done because he isnt taking the game seriously and is playing careless, he doesent look injured to me anymore, he looks lazy and lethargic, typical "coasting" Pierce.

We have seen this movie before.

A buddy of mine echoed those comments last week.  He said during game 6 of the Atlanta series that Pierce seemed lazy and not into the game.  His passes have been very lazy. The guy is a Bulls fan and was just making an observation.

We all know what Pierce is capable of.  He's gotta go out and do it now!

Pierce has those lazy passes all the time, whether hurt or healthy. That is just part of who he is. He goes to the hoop hard, gets stuck, and has no choice but to try to find someone.

Effort is not Pierce's problem because the results of effort are still constrained by what a person's body can do. I see no reason why I should doubt Pierce's efforts in the playoffs. He has a long history of going hard. I see no reason to make up narratives that question his character to cover up for the reality that the team is old, and so is he.

[2short]

Pierce has always had lazy passes/turnovers.  He is definitely playing hurt but he is helping the team in defense and rebounding.  He'll start hitting the shots, its Pierce.  Andre is not hurt and a good defender, we need to concede that he'll outplay pierce during the series but we need others to step up.  Pietrus played well during the 3 pt burst but I believe doc takes him out because of defensive lapses, he also doesn't seem to understand the spacing on offense as well as most everyone else.  I do think its a chance to give daniels or sasha a run.  If doc is going to sit pp because of his injury then it'll be a big bench! rondo back, bass knee, mp knee, pp knee, ray ankle, greg feet and avery shoulder (tough kid)

[mctyson]

Pierce is not going to sit, but...

I think the biggest problem with PP right now is his bad ball handling and making WAY too many turnovers

We have to stop running offense through him until he shows that he will not turn the ball over.  We need to treat him like Ray, run him off screens, get him some open jumpers, and some spot up 3s.

He is killing us with his sloppy ball handling and turnovers.

Let's get one thing straight - Doc is not going to sit him.

[scaryjerry]

I think the biggest problem with PP right now is his bad ball handling and making WAY too many turnovers.  I don't know if that comes from his knee or not?  It def comes from a combination of being lazy with the ball, not throwing crisp passes and not being into the flow enough to not make stupid mistakes.   It makes it hard to win when PP is turning the ball over 5,6, times or more a game.  That has to improve.

Those turnovers are tomahawk dunks in the next round.

no more then they should be this series...Sixers are as athletic as the heat