What could be Paul Pierce’s final game against the Boston Celtics didn’t go according to script for the Los Angeles Clippers veteran. But fortunately for Pierce and the Clippers, Monday night ended in comedy rather than tragedy.
The Clippers already had built up a substantial lead over the Celtics by the second quarter at Staples Center when Pierce drove hard to the basket for a nice layup against his former team. Yet the 38-year-old came down awkwardly on his right leg and appeared to be in quite some pain.
The injury looked pretty bad, but the Clippers announced Pierce had just suffered a right ankle sprain and right knee contusion, an ailment that the former Celtics star hopes won’t keep him out for long.
With the mood considerably lighter after L.A.’s huge win and the news that Pierce was OK, Clippers coach Doc Rivers came in hot with the joke everyone was thinking but didn’t say.
“It’s his ankle, which is the good news, because when he went down, I thought it was his knee,” Rivers told reporters after the game, via the team’s official website. “Of course, the (Los Angeles) Laker fans, they were going to bring out a wheelchair at some point. They didn’t do that, so that was good.”
If you need a refresher, Rivers is referencing the famous (infamous?) moment in Game 1 of the 2008 NBA Finals when Pierce was dramatically whisked from the court in a wheelchair, only to return later in the game after suffering what just turned out to be a sprained knee.
We suppose Rivers is qualified to joke about the “Wheelchair Game,” since he was on the Celtics’ sideline when it happened. Above all, though, the Clippers head coach is just glad Pierce’s injury wasn’t one that could prematurely end his career — against the team that helped define it, no less.
“For a second, when he grabbed his knee, I definitely thought, ‘Oh boy,’” Rivers added. “Then I’m thinking, ‘Against the Celtics.’ I was thinking, ‘No.’ It didn’t happen, so that’s good.”
Click for the Celtics-Clippers Wrap >>
— Let’s hit a few other notes from Celtics-Clippers:
— Isaiah Thomas continues to play at a historic level in March. The Celtics point guard paced his team with 24 points Monday night, marking the 13th consecutive game he’s led the C’s in scoring. That ties him with Celtics legend Larry Bird, who was the Celtics’ outright leading scorer for 13 straight contests during the 1987-88 season.
But Thomas wasn’t too interested in discussing records after the game.
“Not really,” Thomas said when asked if the milestone means anything to him, via MassLive.com’s Jay King. “Maybe if we would’ve won it would have been pretty cool. I’m just about winning, honestly. The numbers speak for (themselves), but it’s about winning, especially at the end of the year, like it is right now.”
— Thomas is very close with Clippers veteran guard Jamal Crawford, who also hails from Tacoma, Wash., and acted as a mentor and role model for Thomas during his path to the NBA. Crawford found time to catch up with the All-Star point guard after the game.
— Monday’s loss proved costly for Boston, as both the Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat won to drop the Celtics down to the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference. With the C’s idle until Thursday, the No. 6 seed Charlotte Hornets can catch them by beating the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday.
— Celtics assistant coach Jay Larranaga was one of two candidates contacted by Georgia Tech to interview for its head coaching job, ESPN’s Jeff Goodman reported Monday. Larranaga has been with the Celtics since 2012 and has acted has head coach in two games this season filling in for Brad Stevens.
— Count Avery Bradley as among those relieved Pierce isn’t seriously hurt. The Celtics guard is one of two players on Boston’s current roster (Jared Sullinger is the other) who played with Pierce, and before Monday’s game waxed poetic about the impact the veteran had on him.
“He’s probably one of the most competitive people I know when it comes to everything, even preparing for the game,” Bradley told The Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach. “If I was out here running sprints to just warm my body up, Paul would probably tie his shoes up and do the same thing.
“He just always wants to be the best and he wants to prepare the best, and I was able to learn a lot from him as far as respecting the game and being professional. I learned so much from him and I appreciate him. Definitely one of the best teammates I’ve ever played with.”
Thumbnail photo via Jake Roth/USA TODAY Sports Images
