[Calder]

Paul Pierce has been on an absolute tear for the last month, scoring at least 30 points in 14 of his last sixteen games. Averaging 33.3 ppg during this period, Pierce has sparked a recent Celtics surge to within 3.5 games behind Milwaukee for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. An off-balance buzzer-beater in Washington on Tuesday, a late triple to put Boston ahead of Philadelphia for good on Wednesday, it's been quite a week for #34. Winners of 7 of their past 11 games, the Celtics are finally coming together after the Wally Szczerbiak trade. While they won't make any noise in the playoffs if they get there, it's nice to see a Boston team showing a little but of life, hoping that it translates into some momentum as they head into training camp next October.

[cjg11582]

He is having a great six weeks (and career), essentially Pierce has become The Eastern Conferences version of Kobe Bryant: great scorer with limited talent around him so everyone is content with him being the first option on every offensive possession. But this strategy is the best probability the two teams have to succeed, and they are both fighting for the eigth spot in their conferences.
Even Lebron said they are the two most difficult players to defend and there are a lot of similarities between the two. They both play for the two most successful franchises in the history of the league, both have uncapped potential even in their late 20's; the only difference is Kobe was accused of Rape and Pierce was damn near stabbed to death. So how does Kobe garner all the attention again? Three titles and an 81 point game might have something to do with it but I suspect there are other cultural factors. Kind of a shame, Wade and Lebron coming into the eastern conference didn't help Pierce's popularity either.

[legend]

Ryan Gomes from Providence is finally getting a chance to play as well. Why he didn't earlier is a mystery to me. He had 29 and 12 last night vs Philly. The Celtics have too many high school kids on their roster at once, and they are taking a while to develop, if they do at all. The NBA won't return to its old self until at least NY or Boston is a legit contender for the title year after year.

[cjg11582]

I wholeheartedly agree. And unlike The Lakers, Boston is sporting some young talent. Delonte West, Gomes, Gerald Green and Al Jefferson, even though his stock has unexplicably dropped from last year. I like the approach Danny Ainge is taking with this team, but it doesn't neccesarily help Pierce in any way. At least not immediately.

[wedge]

Originally Posted by legend

Ryan Gomes from Providence is finally getting a chance to play as well. Why he didn't earlier is a mystery to me. He had 29 and 12 last night vs Philly. The Celtics have too many high school kids on their roster at once, and they are taking a while to develop, if they do at all. The NBA won't return to its old self until at least NY or Boston is a legit contender for the title year after year.

Ryan Gomes has been large as of late. Since becoming a starter, 12 games, he is averaging 15.1 pts and 8.7 rebs while shooting 61% from the Field. Why hasn't he been playing all year? Doesn't make sense.

Give me a junior or senior in college over a high school player any day, with the exception for that rare stud talent like Garnett, Bryant or James. Every year quality players drop in the draft because teams draft more for potential then talent. Gomes is a good example, as is Jameer Nelson.

[Calder]

I think the only reason that Gomes wasn’t getting minutes was because the Celtics wanted to play some of their other high draft picks to see what they could do. Gomes is a huge talent, and West has been a great addition for the Celtics. He’s a heady point guard who doesn’t try to do too much. The problem for the Celtics is that most of their young talent is SO raw that it’s hard to mesh them altogether at the same time. The Bulls have tried the same thing, twice in fact with a different group of players, and have been rather unsuccessful. They did have a nice run into the playoffs last year after an 0-9 start, but have seemed to come back to earth this season. Don’t forget Kendrick Perkins (currently injured), who put up some pretty big numbers after Blount got traded to the Timberwolves. Here’s hoping that Szczerbiak is the last big move the Celtics have made, because what they really need now is role players to complement him, Gomes, and Pierce. I think they have a really great mix right now to accomplish just that.

[Gotham Dark Knight]

Originally Posted by wedge

Ryan Gomes has been large as of late. Since becoming a starter, 12 games, he is averaging 15.1 pts and 8.7 rebs while shooting 61% from the Field. Why hasn't he been playing all year? Doesn't make sense.

Give me a junior or senior in college over a high school player any day, with the exception for that rare stud talent like Garnett, Bryant or James. Every year quality players drop in the draft because teams draft more for potential then talent. Gomes is a good example, as is Jameer Nelson.

Ditto Wedge...and the fact that I got me some Gomes Rookie cards before he went on a tare has nothing to do with it...absolutely nothing ...you hear me Wedge?

[Wizard of Os]

Cheers, guys.

I know this thread is a tad old, but the subject of Paul Pierce must be kept fresh for a couple of years. He may have only just begun.

The almost-always brilliant Sports Guy has written a most excellent piece on Pierce, a man he credits with making Boston basketball relevant again.

How good is Pierce, really? Can he accomplish what the Guy says? While Danny be clever enough to mold the team around him and pick up a name or two in the off-season?

Can greenbloods hold their heads up high again?