I know I'm not the only one who realized Paul Pierce wasn't hurt the second he hit the ground. Similarly to Rip Hamilton's phantom injury from the Celtics - Pistons series, Pierce came up lame without much contact. At first it seemed like Kobe may have bumped his knee, then it seemed like maybe Pierce's own teammate Perkins may have tripped him up - either of which did not cause that much contact. Yet Pierce was on the floor writhing in pain and all I could say is - "if he's hurt that's a huge blow to the Celtics, but if he comes back before the 4th quarter this is some bullshit." And some bullshit it was! As LA Times writer Plaschke wrote call it the "fake n' shake."
I'm all for entertainment but come on, just play the game. Scripted theatrics? That's just too far. Phil Jackson even said when asked if Pierce's injury and subsequent return brought to mind memories of Willis Reed that "the difference is that Willis was out for three quarters and took 3 horse shots in his thigh before coming out, Pierce was only gone for a minute and a half of the game and didn't even limp when he returned." When asked about the "Pierce Drama" and its affect on the Lakers' play, Kobe Bryant laughed. Pierce himself, when asked what treatment he received or planned to get he said "some standing, some lateral movement." When asked if he planned to have a MRI he said, "what's that going to tell us? If I can play or not?" Uhh, yeah! Unless you were never really injured and you know it...which you do.
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