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Did Pierce Fake It?June 06 08  This is a special feature by guest blogger Christopher Sells.Paul Pierce fell on the ground, writhing in pain. He had to be carried off the court and he was transferred to a wheelchair once in the tunnel. But he shook off a strained meniscus to come back and lead the Celtics to victory over the Lakers in what will surely be one of the most celebrated performances in an already illustrious rivalry. One problem, though. Some people think Pierce was faking: To nearly 50 years of delicious Celtics-Lakers lore, add a new apparent bit of chicanery. Pierce hobbled out with drama dripping from every step. He was so hurt, he immediately began sprinting around the stunned Lakers defenders.Never mind that it would take an inordinate amount of planning and acting and the involvement of too many people on the Celtics’ staff, it would just have been ridiculous. I suppose that when Kendrick Perkins went for that block, he was instructed to land awkwardly on Pierce. And who takes a dive when they’re in the middle of a hot streak? It was an example of a player shaking off injury to play in a game that he’s probably been waiting his entire life to play in. You could see the limp and Pierce took to mostly spotting up afterwards. It was obvious that he wasn’t himself. People want to compare it to Willis Reed’s performance in the Finals, but this was different. Not only was Pierce’s comeback in the middle of a game, he actually ended up playing well enough to make a difference. I’d say he was the reason the Celtics won. That and an ice-cold shooting performance from the Lakers in the fourth quarter, anyway. [image:http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2019/2096531134_c9c1071062_m.jpg]
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