Paul Pierce
Paul Pierce
Paul Anthony Pierceis an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association. Pierce was a high school McDonald's All-American and earned All-America first team honors in his junior year at Kansas...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionBasketball Player
Date of Birth13 October 1977
CityOakland, CA
CountryUnited States of America
everybody excited forward game knows opportunity playing region
Everybody knows it's for the region championship but at the same time, you've got to go play the same game you've been playing all year. We're excited about the opportunity and we look forward to the challenge.
defensive four last learn loose minutes problem quality shots three urgency
We feel like we're real close, it's just the little things. Our problem is a sense of urgency in the last three or four minutes of the game. We've got to get loose balls, get defensive rebounds, get quality shots and that's what we've got to learn to do as a team.
agent free great ready sit stay summer talk thinking until
There's going to be a lot of things to think about. But I'm not really ready for all that yet. It'd be great to stay in one place my whole career, but in the back of every player's mind, you have to be thinking about what it'd be like to be a free agent one time. Then again, you never know what can happen. I really shouldn't talk too much about it until I really sit down and think about it. I just know this is going to be a big summer for me.
forward next
We've got something to look forward to next year.
cushion difference fourth gave good moved opened played playing start starters tough
That was the difference in the game. They gave the starters a cushion at the start of the fourth quarter. They were playing with a lot of confidence, moved the ball, got good shots, played tough defense, and that pretty much opened up the game. So the starters got back in and put it away.
couple defense easy gave
I was really disappointed in our defense down the stretch. We gave up too many easy baskets. They got a couple of dunks and a couple of layups. That can't happen. Not in the playoffs. Not at home. Not anywhere.
next year
I think he's going to be an All-Star, if not this year then next year.
intensity match second
We just couldn't match their intensity in the second half.
good played work
We were very fortunate. Obviously, there are a lot of things we have to work on. I thought we played good defense.
ability defender good guys minutes mode needs nice player system touch
I think Marcus is like a lot of guys in the league. He needs the minutes to get comfortable with the system and the coach, and Marcus never really got that with us. He never was really comfortable in Doc (Rivers') system the whole time, but I think he has the ability to be a good player in this league. He's a lock-down defender and he has a nice touch from the outside. I put him in the same mode as a (Warriors guard) Derek Fisher.
best counting everybody feels feud player starts teams tear
Those are things that tear teams apart. When you have a feud with your best player and he's not responding, everybody else feels like they're going to have to respond. It starts with your best player that the team is counting on.
close game home pick
With the game that close on your home court, we've got to pick up our defense.
execute liked shots
We just didn't execute down the stretch. I thought we got the shots we wanted. I liked our effort.
heads sooner turn
We've got to keep our heads up. We're going to turn this around sooner or later.