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NBA FINALS: CELTIC v LAKERS

June 12, 2010

Paul Pierce

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS: Practice Day

Q. Considering it's been a while since all three of you have had an offensive game in conjunction with each other, what do you have to do to get back to that level, or is that something you can't predict?
PAUL PIERCE: You just can't predict it, man. You can't predict how guys are going to shoot. You can't predict how guys are going to play from a night-in, night-out basis. There's really no way I can really answer that. I mean, it's a different type of game. Teams have their scouting reports and some of the things they want to take away from us each and every night. Some guys more than others. So it's hard to predict the other team's game plan and what they want to give and what they want to take away.
As far as having a great game from all of us, it's real unpredictable.

Q. When you want to get yourself going, what have you discovered is the best way? Is it getting a couple of rebounds? Is it attacking?
PAUL PIERCE: Just get me the ball, like Keyshawn Johnson.

Q. When Doc changed, I guess, around mid-season or whatever, he said, we're not going to win this game, I've got to change and maybe scale back people's minutes to get people healthy, when you guys made the playoffs did you have any doubts about doing that, what he wanted to do, or how did you keep staying positive thinking you could be here doing it differently?
PAUL PIERCE: It was easier for me because I battled injury throughout the whole year, so it was like scaling people back as far as minutes and things of that nature. It was much needed for me, especially after I got hurt. Maybe before that I wasn't in agreement with it, but it was easier for me once the injuries started taking place.

Q. Did you think everybody bought into the change at the time, or did people kind of go like, what's going on here?
PAUL PIERCE: You know, I really can't speak for everybody. I don't know what him and his conversation with Kevin was all about, Ray and Perk. Probably knowing Kevin, he probably wasn't too thrilled about it and some of the other guys. But for me it was about my injuries after that that I was going full bore with it.

Q. When you guys are talking to Doc, what do you see? Do you see a former player? Do you see a coach? What do you see when you are listening to Doc Rivers?
PAUL PIERCE: You know, I see a former player, I see a coach. You know, I see a coach because of the respect that he gets from players and a former player because he understands us the way he talks to us off the court, explaining roles, knowing what it's like to be a player as far as practice, things of that nature. I mean, I see a little bit of both in him.

Q. What's been the significance for you of playing under Doc Rivers?
PAUL PIERCE: Just him helping me mature. When he got here, I was 26, I believe, 26 years old, still learning my way, still coming into my own as a player. I think with him arriving here and just being in his presence over me, it's helped me mature more as a player and as a person overall, and I think that's helped my game out.

Q. What's the one thing that he's told you of all the things that he's told you, the one thing that really sticks out?
PAUL PIERCE: Probably about sacrificing for the good of the team, for the good of everybody. When you find yourself doing that for the good of the team, you find that -- doing that in life, also. The way I look at Doc, he's much more than just a coach for me. He's a friend and a guy who I admire and look up to actually.

Q. When you have a bad game or when someone on the team has a bad game, how important is it to get them going early in the next game? And is that part of the game plan when you guys come in?
PAUL PIERCE: I don't think it's an overemphasis. Usually when somebody has a bad game, I think they have to find it within themselves to go out there and help this team win, because when I don't score and I don't do certain things, I never look at it as a bad game, especially for me, especially if we win. I always find some way to turn it around, say this is what I did to help my ballclub win.
But as far as getting guys going, you know, this team ain't really like that. It's not like if I don't go out here and score 20 or Ray doesn't do it then that's the emphasis on the next game. The emphasis is all about playing the right way, playing defense, sharing the ball. That's our motto here as Celtics. It's not about one individual regardless because everybody is not going to play well every game, and we realize that. But it's whatever you can do to help this ballclub win. That's what guys are really more worried about than their individual selves and playing well.

Q. Some people on the outside would say this team has got the Big Three, Rondo, anybody can coach this team. What do you think that Doc's biggest contribution to this last three years has been?
PAUL PIERCE: I think people don't realize how hard it is to manage personalities. Regardless of the talent level, you've got to be able to manage the personalities on the team. There's been teams -- even look at the Lakers before they got Phil Jackson, they had pretty much the same team, and when he got there they started winning championships. You've got to be able to know your players, understand them, and I think in these days and times, you have to be more of a player's type of coach, and I think that's what Doc brings to the table with the different personalities, because it's tough to coach such strong-minded individuals in this locker room.
When you talk about the egos Doc deals with on a night-in and night-out basis, it can be tough. It can be draining for a coach. But I think he does a good job with those egos, putting them in check, making guys understand when they're wrong and what he needs from them. I think that's the biggest trait Doc brings to the table.

Q. Kendrick was just out there talking about how he's going to give Sheed advice on staying away from technicals because they're both sitting at six. Do you like the idea of Kendrick giving Sheed advice on how to keep a temper?
PAUL PIERCE: Whatever works because we need both those guys. Those technicals, they can hurt you if we lose either one of those guys. Whatever Kendrick does for Sheed, whatever Sheed does for Kendrick, I hope they realize we need these guys in there for all of them, and whatever they can do, I'm all for it.

Q. What's it like in practice when there isn't somebody hanging over them to make sure they don't make those violations?
PAUL PIERCE: You don't even think about that in practice. It's so hard to really control it from a person on the outside with these guys because emotions is a big part of the game. These guys are two of our most emotional players on the team. You've just got to keep it in their heads and keep it in their ears, hey, we need you guys. We don't need any more technicals from these guys because these are the biggest games of their lives right now.

End of FastScripts

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