Paul Pierce Injured Knee In Practice

By Chris Forsberg | ESPNBoston.com

BOSTON -- Celtics captain Paul Pierce suffered a left knee injury during shootaround on Sunday, which initially left his status unclear for Game 4 of an Eastern Conference quarterfinal series against the Atlanta Hawks.

Forsberg: Pierce Pulls Rope-a-Dope
Paul Pierce played through and aggravated a knee injury all so he and the Celtics could deliver a knockout blow, Chris Forsberg writes.

Pierce was able to suit up, only to aggravate the injury in the first half and admitted his status moving forward is uncertain, though he hopes to play in Game 5 in Atlanta on Tuesday.

Pierce admitted his knee felt "sore" and "tender" after the Celtics posted a 101-79 triumph over the Hawks at TD Garden. He played a mere 16 minutes, 37 seconds, but chipped in a game-high 24 points on 10 of 13 shooting to spearhead Boston's offensive outburst.

"I kinda sprained it this morning, then I aggravated it today in the game," said Pierce. "I'm glad we were able to get a win like this, give me some rest. We'll get me a couple days off, I can get some treatment and hopefully it feels good on Tuesday."

Boston engaged in a light walkthrough Sunday morning, but still nearly lost Pierce. He then aggravated the injury when he banged knees with Atlanta's Josh Smith with 5:45 to play in the first half. He returned to play the first 3½ minutes of the third quarter and helped Boston open a 35-point lead before calling it a night. Pierce spent some time on the exercise bike courtside, then returned to the locker room in the fourth quarter for treatment.

"I kind of tripped over someone's foot, turned the knee [in shootaround]," said Pierce. "I had to sit around the last half of shootaround and, tonight, I just kind of re-aggravated it when I came up off the double screen with Josh Smith there. It's a little bit sore right now, so [coach] Doc [Rivers] just wanted to take precautions tonight, especially when we had such a big lead. That allowed me to go back in the fourth quarter, get treatment and rest for the next couple days."

Rivers admitted when he left the shootaround, he wasn't certain the team would have Pierce.

"When I left shootaround, I probably thought he was not going to play," said Rivers. "And [team trainer] Eddie [Lacerte] said, 'Let's see, let's give it a try, and see how he feels.' I talked to [Pierce] right before the game, I asked him, 'What do you think?' And he said, 'Well let me just try to warm it up and see how I feel.'

"It's amazing. I mean, honestly, guys around the league [getting injured]. He was just dribbling the ball and went to the floor in shootaround. And I was thinking, 'What more can you [endure]?' We were walking. That's how you felt, like, 'My gosh!' And, honestly, when he went down, it didn't look good. So the fact that he could come in and play, and then play the way he played was great."

Asked about Pierce's status for Game 5, Rivers said the team will take a wait-and-see approach.

"I have no idea," said Rivers. "With a couple of guys, actually three of them, we literally don't know. So we'll find out."

Rivers was likely referring to Pierce, Ray Allen (ankle), and Avery Bradley (shoulder) who were all essentially game-time decisions based on their ailments heading into Game 4.

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CSNE

Health concerns mount for C's heading into series-clincher

BOSTON — The Boston Celtics have a different kind of Big Three now - three players of concern for Doc Rivers.

As the C's head to Atlanta for a potential series-clinching matchup with Atlanta on Tuesday, they'll do so with at least three players whose status is iffy, at best.

Mickael Pietrus (hamstring), Paul Pierce (left knee) and Ray Allen (right ankle) are all questionable for Tuesday's Game 5 matchup.

Pietrus' injury occurred during the Celtics' 101-79 Game 4 win over Atlanta on Sunday.

"MP's hamstring, we had to take him out," said C's coach Doc Rivers.

And while Allen had another solid game (13 points) for the Celtics since returning to the lineup after missing the previous 11 games, Rivers isn't sure if the ankle injury that sidelined him will return and thus limit him or worse - make it so that he can't play in Game 5.

But Allen maintains that the injury woes in recent weeks - for now at least - appear to be a thing of the past.

"I feel surprisingly great," Allen said. "I'm really managing my off days really well."

And he'll look to continue doing that on Monday, a day in which the C's will travel to Atlanta but will not practice.

"Traveling takes a toll on your body being in the air," Allen said. "I think everybody's going to deal with some type of swelling. You know getting into the hotel and just staying off your feet is huge."

The player that the C's are probably most concerned about now is Pierce, who had a game-high 24 points in less than 17 minutes of action on Sunday.

The left knee injury he suffered in Game 5 was actually re-aggravated from an injury he suffered during the C's shoot-around on Sunday morning.

C's coach Doc Rivers was as surprised as anyone that Pierce was able to play, let alone play so well on Boston's Game 4 win.

"When I left shoot-around, I probably thought he (Pierce) was not going to play," Rivers said.

And the injury, Rivers said, was such a fluke one, too.

"He was just dribbling the ball and went to the floor in shoot-around," Rivers recalled. "And I was thinking, "What more can you …? We were walking (throughout most of the shoot-around). You know, that's how you felt, like, my gosh. And honestly, when he went down, it didn't look good.So the fact that he could come in and play, and play the way he played was great."

As far as whether he'll play in Game 5, Rivers said, "I have no idea. You know, with a couple of guys - actually three of them - we literally don't know. So we'll find out."
112288

hurt it again yesterday. Maybe that means he will have another monster game!!!

I hope this situation will quiet people who chirp about the responsibility a team has to keep the public (and therefore opponents) fully informed about the health status of players. If Atlanta had known about the questionable status of Paul's knee, they would undoubtedly have attacked him more forcefully from the game's outset, and the momentum enjoyed by the Celtics could well have been compromised.

Sam