Competitive Firee

Well well well, I'm glad that 90% of the time I try to talk to anyone about basketball I get tuned out like so much white noise and subjected to innumerable eye rolls, because before this weekend I was telling anyone who would listen that Paul Pierce would not do well in the 3-point shooting contest this weekend. Boy was I wrong (though I was hardly the only one). Because of Pierce's methodical, slow release, I thought he would struggle mightily to keep the rhythm and tempo necessary to shoot 25 shots so effectively in just one minute. Against other competitors with short, compact strokes (Stephen Curry and Chauncey Billups), it seemed like Pierce was at a disadvantage (and we haven't touched on his foot sprain either). But to the Truth's credit, he raised his game and changed his stroke and took home the trophy despite some stiff competition from his peers.

In the final round, Pierce scored 20 of a possible 30 points (there are five balls per rack, five racks in all and the last ball in each rack is worth 2 points) to edge out young Stephen Curry for the title. While Pierce's shooting was mighty impressive to behold, what really struck me was the fact that he nailed very single one of the money-balls in the final round. If that's not an indication that a player is a fierce competitor and can raise his game when it really matters, I'm not sure what is. Like he's done so many times in the past, Paul Pierce was willing and able to make the necessary adjustments to win, showing us all once again how talented, versatile and intelligent he is as a player. Whatever the situation calls for, he can provide. It's exciting to watch the ball go in the hole a lot, but seeing Pierce change his game to get himself an edge and the win was far more impressive for me.

Hopefully, Pierce and the other Celtics will get their act together soon, they've got a tough slate of games this week, with an LA/Portland back-to-back on Thursday and Friday for good measure. Fox and I will be at the game on Friday (special nod to Tyler's mom for hooking us up with killer seats), so I should be able to provide some good analysis after the contest. Stay tuned, sports fans!