If anyone thinks the Boston Celtics are too old to be a top team in the NBA still, think again. After playing a long 44 minutes in Orlando on Friday night, Pierce was able to make it to the Boston hotel at 3 A.M. on Friday.Last night, he showed no signs of fatigue: just how much of an All-Pro basketball player he was as he helped the Boston Celtics to a 94-87 victory over the Indiana Pacers, getting revenge after getting pummeled in the past two meetings.
Pierce put up 28 points, including a huge 17 in the third quarter as he helped the C's improve to 9-9 on the season without Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo, and Jermaine O'Neal.
It was tough to see as a Pacers fan, as they couldn't get past a depleted Celtics team, but that's just how things go around here. Boston has bounced back from a tough 4-8 start, as they have been 5-1 since then.
Indiana was only able to put up 34 points in the first half, but were only down eight points at halftime, which wasn't too bad to see after witnessing how bad Indiana was doing...especially their bench. Plus, there was some good signs coming into the third after David West finished off the second quarter with a buzzer-beating three-pointer.
But they just couldn't get the win. They were just awful. Danny Granger led the team with 21 points and six rebounds, but it wasn't enough. And his defense on Pierce wasn't so good either, allowing the veteran to get 17 points on him in the third. Pierce also added ten rebounds and eight assists in the victory.
"I like to come out in the third quarter and just be aggressive," said Pierce. "You can make your run. You can't really settle on the lead. I try to focus on extending the lead, being more aggressive and getting better as the game goes on."
Kevin Garnett and Mickael Pietrus also helped out, each having 13 points. Tied at 46, Pierce hit a three and scored a few more to help Boston on an 11-0 run to run away with the game.
"Hats off to Paul Pierce. He turned back the clock," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. "Obviously, he's playing like one of the best players in the league again, carrying the load for them. They deserved to win tonight."
Paul George had 16 points and nine rebounds while West finished with 14 points and eight rebounds. Roy Hibbert struggled, but was able to finish with eleven points and seven rebounds. He's also been playing tough through injury, with a broken nose and now a banged up ankle. Give credit to how he's playing with injury.
"This was their night," Hibbert said. "Paul Pierce made some real tough shots. He's been leading this team since Ray and Rondo went out."
Indiana heads off to Orlando on Sunday night, looking to bounce back after a tough 102-83 loss in their last meeting not too long ago. Indiana is now 12-6. They need to stop Dwight Howard and the Magic.
Looks to be a good one.
Gotta step it up, Indy!
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