Paul Pierce Bounces Back in a Big Way

Pierce’s breakout performance couldn’t have come at a more opportune time for the Celtics, who are now just a win away from the Eastern Conference Finals. From the Globe: “Things could have gone the way it had in the past, with LeBron James guarding Pierce. Or the Cavaliers could have chosen to address the fact that Rajon Rondo had dismantled their defense by making their superstar chase the 6-foot-1-inch point guard. ‘It really didn’t matter who was going to guard me,’ Pierce said. ‘I was planning on being more aggressive.’ Pierce’s defensive assignment and the fouls that came with it made it impossible for him to get anything going offensively, but in the Celtics’ 120-88 Game 5 win over the Cavaliers last night, Pierce was as aggressive offensively as he was at every other facet of the game, grabbing 11 rebounds and hounding James in the 42 minutes they were on the floor. The 21 points were the most Pierce has scored all series, and even when things weren’t falling consistently (9 of 21 shooting), he kept looking for his shot. ‘I wanted to be more aggressive getting set up in the paint,’ Pierce said. ‘Just watching the film, there were more opportunities I could get in the paint and stop and get my mid-range jumper.’’’