Did Pierce over-do it?

[MapleLeaf]

Now I respect Pierce as a player and like him, but since everyone else is bringing it up, lets get everyones opinions. Last night during the NBA finals game Paul Pierce went down and had to be carried off the court by his teammates. But less then 5 minutes later here comes Pierce hopping out of the tunnel. A lot of people think it was an act to get the fan fired up and the team.

What do you think?

 

[vikesfan]

he's a ho fo sho

 

[Yankees2772]

Why would he do that? Make them waste a timeout?

 

[Whisper]

I don't believe he faked the injury, but his return was just way too dramatic for my taste. Come back, wave to the fans, get in the game. If it were Kobe he would have gotten blasted for being a show-off. In this case, Pierce is the hero.

He had to get carried off the court like a baby, had to get on a wheel chair, and five minutes later he comes hopping back like a little kid. Oh please...

 

[$tunna]

yeah I think he just made it seem overly dramatic

 

[-Torres-]

My opinion might sound bias b/c I'm a Boston fan, but I don't think he overdid it. He got hit in a place that could of left him out for a very long time or even ended his career. That scared him; adding that to the initial pain of when getting hit happens, only makes thing hurt worse. Now about the wheelchair and getting carried off. He's not the one who decides if he gets up and tries to walk back to the locker room, it's the team trainer's decision. He actually told the trainer that he wanted to try to walk instead of using the wheelchair. By the time he's in the locker room and getting his knee checked out again, the initial shock of pain was probably over. Then learning it was probably just a knee sprain, they put a sleeve on it, which actually helps the pain and mobility of it.(I've had to wear one before after hurting my knee in a game, and coming back in the game a couple minutes after leaving the locker room.) Now a lot of people will say that still doesn't make up for the apparent pain, but the last factor does. His adrenaline was most likely at a whole new level. This is the finals, and Boston really wants a ring. Adrenaline allows people to push through a lot of pain.

Now about his entrance, and the Boston fans going crazy. That's going to happen when your the captain of the Celtics, period. He was skipping around a bit, but that was most likely due to the adrenaline and boost of energy he received from the crowd. It was also to help his teammates keep their head and believe everything is fine.

So, no, I don't think Pierce overdid it.

 

[The Young One]

Meh i felt like it was a little overdramatic but he didnt really overdo it.

 

[X-Factor]

Now I respect Pierce as a player and like him, but since everyone else is bringing it up, lets get everyones opinions. Last night during the NBA finals game Paul Pierce went down and had to be carried off the court by his teammates. But less then 5 minutes later here comes Pierce hopping out of the tunnel. A lot of people think it was an act to get the fan fired up and the team.

What do you think?

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I mean, it worked, but I dont really think it was that much of an act.

 

[DJT]

OMG, he did not fake the injury. He got hurt, realized its the finals, toughed it out and came out to help his team. Simple as that.

 

[RipCity32]

It didn't look like he was in much pain when he was walking on the court...

 

[.snowy]

He probably had a painkilling injection in the rooms Rip.

 

[DJT]

Eh...I think it looked like he was in pain. His lips were pursed.

 

[RipCity32]

He probably had a painkilling injection in the rooms Rip.

Good point.

 

[MapleLeaf]

But how do you go from not being able to walk and being in so much pain you have to get carried off the floor and put in a wheelchair.

Then after a minute or two and a commercial break, 5 minute tops, here he comes hopping out like he's all fine.

 

[DJT]

People can play with pain. He could of walked off to, but he said it was hurting real bad, plus he didn't know what was wrong with it, you don't want to go running off to the locker room when you don't know whats wrong with it. They looked at it, could see that it wasn't too bad so he got up and went back to the game.

 

[.loggie]

i dont know. its a toss up, i think he did get injured but again, he was overly dramatic about it

 

[MapleLeaf]

Phil Jackson sort of criticizes Pierce

From realgm.com

Phil Jackson is not buying the whole Paul Pierce miraculous comeback story in Game 1, questioning the legitimacy of the severity of Pierce's pain, the New York Daily News is reporting.

"Paul got carried off and was back on his feet in a minute," Jackson said. "I don't know if the angels visited him at halftime or in that timeout period that he had or not, but he didn't even limp when he came back out on the floor. I don't know what was going on there. Was (evangelist) Oral Roberts back there in their locker room?"

Some are comparing Pierce's willingness to come back and inspire his team despite being hurt to that of Willis Reed 38 years ago, but Jackson is not one of them.

Yesterday, Jackson reminded reporters that Reed needed injections to play after suffering a debilitating thigh injury in Game 5 that knocked him out of Game 6.

"(Reed) literally had to have a shot, a horse shot, three or four of them in his thigh to come back out and play," Jackson said.

 

[Mexi]

Paul Pierce rule?

Post Falls (AP) -- Reports from Boston suggest that there may be a new rule to discuss when the NBA Rules Committee holds its annual meeting this upcoming offseason. Supposedly, David Stern and Co will be reviewing the possibility of adding another NBA rule; this one will be known as the Paul Pierce Rule.

Although not finalized, the rule will likely state that anytime a player goes in down in agony with a supposed injury, roles and spasms uncontrollably on the floor for at least 3 minutes or more, has to be carried off the court by two players while he puts an elbow over his face to hide the fact that he is crying, and proceeds to be placed in a wheelchair and escorted back to the locker room - that same player must remain in that locker room for a minimum of 10 minutes and has to sit out at least one quarter.

David Stern thoughts, "Honestly, that was actually quite embarrassing was it not? I mean geez, if I just saw the highlights after the injury of him flopping on the floor and getting carried off I would have guessed Tonya Harding made a guest appearance in the Garden last night and clubbed Paul right in the knee. He really put on a show didn't he? He was back before we could even cut to a commercial break. What did the doc do in the locker room? Slap him in the face, tell him to quit crying and be a man? That’s what I would have done.”

“I mean I make these guys dress in suits to every game to get a little credibility for the league and to appeal to the working class of America and Paul goes and pulls this shenanigan? I mean image if a construction worker stubbed their toe and pulled what Pierce did? They would be laughed off the job site. Or if an office worker got a paper-cut and proceeded to act like their hand just got chopped off by Yoda’s light saber? They would be looking at a severance package in a matter of minutes. The NBA is no different. This isn’t soccer. We aren’t based in France. If we want fans to respect our product, than our product better be tougher than a JR high cheerleader.”

“Now is this a major rule? No. But one that should get the point across that if you pull a Paul Pierce than you better be ready to sit for awhile.”

 

[Xplosive99]

He's a beast no matter what.