Did Paul Pierce shit his pants in the Wheelchair Game (Game 1 2008 Finals)?
Apparently it's a longstanding rumor.
Apparently it's a longstanding rumor.
Poo Pierce?
- Thread starter The Talented Allen Ripley
- Start date
I could see it happening in it's mid(?) history, specifically the late-70s and 80s when half the league was coked out of their minds.
I would have more respect for Pierce if it was true. He was a fantastic player, but his socceresque exaggeration of injuries, not just on this incident, never sat well with me.
With the caveat that as the article says memory is a malleable thing, here's my recollection...
Pierce was not a flopper to the point of trying to draw calls. If anything he was so strong and powered through contact so well that it worked against him. Plus the guy almost died from a stabbing and got back on the court as soon as possible without ever making it a big deal or drawing undue attention to himself about it - I think that earns him a partial pass.
The bandage thing early in his career was bad. I chalk it up to a combination of dysfunctional organization, young & immature, bad judgment. But, to a certain extent inexcusable. That was probably the worst thing he'd done in this vein.
The Finals thing, I always thought people unduly held against him. I usually try to put myself in the athlete's shoes and come to the realization that my reality is so different that to a certain extent it's impossible. But to the extent I can try to imagine what it was like for him...He's a guy who'd never blown out a ligament or tendon so had no idea what it felt like. He went down awkwardly in pain and heard a pop. He was probably fairly certain he had a serious injury like a blown ACL - I imagine that would be pretty emotionally devastating as well given the context. He seems like he has a lot of personal pride and I don't think he was really thinking in the moment how it would look to get a wheelchair and I'm not sure he was the guy who called for the wheelchair.
On the other hand, if the same thing happened to Kobe, I would be heckling Lakers fans mercilessly about it.
Pierce was not a flopper to the point of trying to draw calls. If anything he was so strong and powered through contact so well that it worked against him. Plus the guy almost died from a stabbing and got back on the court as soon as possible without ever making it a big deal or drawing undue attention to himself about it - I think that earns him a partial pass.
The bandage thing early in his career was bad. I chalk it up to a combination of dysfunctional organization, young & immature, bad judgment. But, to a certain extent inexcusable. That was probably the worst thing he'd done in this vein.
The Finals thing, I always thought people unduly held against him. I usually try to put myself in the athlete's shoes and come to the realization that my reality is so different that to a certain extent it's impossible. But to the extent I can try to imagine what it was like for him...He's a guy who'd never blown out a ligament or tendon so had no idea what it felt like. He went down awkwardly in pain and heard a pop. He was probably fairly certain he had a serious injury like a blown ACL - I imagine that would be pretty emotionally devastating as well given the context. He seems like he has a lot of personal pride and I don't think he was really thinking in the moment how it would look to get a wheelchair and I'm not sure he was the guy who called for the wheelchair.
On the other hand, if the same thing happened to Kobe, I would be heckling Lakers fans mercilessly about it.
Being a coach and teacher has taught me tolerance. One year my best player had a Flock of Seagulls haircut. Whatever, he could play. Pierce was nasty tough player, but two or three times a year he fell to the floor like sniper shot him with what turned out to be a minor or nonexistent injury. As a Celtic fan it bothered me, but it is really not worth considering for the best wing player not from French Lick, in C's history.