West coast swings have rarely been kind for the Boston Celtics, even when they've been playing at full strength.
Now that their captain's out of action, it's easy to make excuses for their recent play.
The Celtics have dropped two of their three games since Paul Pierce was sidelined with a knee infection, with the losses coming against the Los Angeles Clippers and the Golden State Warriors. In both games, Boston held leads that they would end up vanquishing.
It would be easy to say that Pierce's absence left the late-game offensive situations in limbo. The Truth has been the go-to closer for the Celtics for more than a decade, and his ability to create his own shot off the dribble makes him deadly in the final minutes of a close game.
It would be easy to say that his absence has hurt the C's on the defensive end. Pierce always has his hands in the action and forces his opponents to change how they play offensively. He also isn't afraid to get his nose dirty and go to the floor for loose balls.
It would even be easy to say that the absence of Pierce has hurt the team due to a lack of leadership. Now in his 12th season in a ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Ryan Desmarais
Paul Pierce’s Absence Isn’t the Entire Problem for the Boston Celtics
December 29th, 2009 by Ryan Desmarais Leave a reply »
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