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NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: CELTICS v MAGICMay 17, 2010Paul PierceORLANDO, FLORIDA: Practice Day Q. (Indiscernible). PAUL PIERCE: Around the NBA we have a lot of size. Starting off with the Lakers, who won a championship, Orlando, even Cleveland. We knew just getting some size and getting some experience and some shooters are going to help us in the playoffs. Q. Did it help having a another big guy back there? PAUL PIERCE: Yeah. I said last year I thought we would have advanced last year if we had another big guy just to match up with Dwight Howard. That's big giving us a lot of depth and a lot of experience in that position. Q. How much did it mean to get the team that took you out last year? Does that motivate you? PAUL PIERCE: We take out the Magic we're going to the championship. I don't know how much of that motivation the guys are using. Our motivation is to win a championship this year regardless of the path we have to take. You know they put us out last year. Obviously this is a New Year. You know, some guys are going to use it as motivation. Some aren't. Q. What do you think are the biggest differences from the way you were playing from the regular season and now? PAUL PIERCE: I think the focus is there. The urgency of being in the playoffs night in and night out, more consistent. Everybody has done away with all the injuries. A lot of things happened at the right time going into the playoffs. And you can't turn it on the in the playoffs. We have guys who understand how to play the game of basketball with our backs against the wall. This group understands what it's going to take. Q. How different of a team are you right now? PAUL PIERCE: We're one of the top teams because we're able to maintain our focus and our intensity level. It's such a long season dealing with injuries and a lot of mental fatigue early on. Now it's the playoffs. We have to play with that. Q. Ray said last night that we've been around each other so long, during the regular season we kind of got on each other. PAUL PIERCE: I think we're around each other so much we get tired of each other. I know I come in here sometimes and get tired of seeing the same faces, the same voices. That's normal. Just like any kind of relationship you have. You have your ups and downs. You've been together so long, it's like you get past it and move on. Q. You guys say you get tired of each other. How important has Doc been on a daily basis to keep you guys stay together? PAUL PIERCE: Doc is sort of like an arbitrator. He keeps things in line. We go to him when we need him. He's very important. He's the greatest coach for this team for the strong personalities. He's able to manage them. He knows when to go hard on us. He knows when to ease back on us. He makes a perfect complement. Especially when you have so many (indiscernible). Q. Is the team coming together just at the right time with the injuries? PAUL PIERCE: Yeah, I can't remember the last time we won four games in a row. Is it four games in a row now? Q. Yeah. PAUL PIERCE: I can't remember the last time we won four games in a row. I like to say that. I hope we keep it going. End of FastScripts |
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