Pierce takes the court with the Celtics Thursday night looking to finish off a team from Cleveland that has lived up to its name. LeBron James and his supporting cast have been cavalier through this entire series, and the Celts know they've got a chance to finish off a sleeping giant. As we very well know, no one wants to play a Game 7 when they've got a chance to end it earlier.
Of course, Bergeron and the Bruins have had three chances to finish off their series with the Flyers. They are 0-for-3, and take the ice Friday night trying to avoid infamy. A loss would make them just the third NHL team in history to blow a 3-0 lead in a best-of-seven series.
On Wednesday, Bergeron couldn't manage a single shot on net in a 2-1 loss at Philadelphia. Not a single shot! He had one of the best chances of the night, trying to redirect a Michael Ryder pass into the net to cut the lead to one. The shot hit the post, which in hockey means it wasn't a shot at all, and the Bruins went on to lose by a goal.
The B's were once in control of this series, but that control slipped away the moment David Krejci was helped off the ice in Game 3. Krejci hasn't skated since, and Boston's mojo has been on a slippery downhill slope ever since.
The Bruins have been looking for offensive contributions from other forwards, but Bergeron — still tied for the team's playoff-scoring lead — hasn't had a point in the last two games. He hasn't scored a goal since Game 3.
He'll need to get more offensively involved in Game 7 if the Bruins are going to advance to a Conference Finals matchup with the hated Canadiens.
Earlier in his series with the Cavs, Pierce found himself answering similar questions about his offense. In Game 3, Pierce scored just 11 points in a 4-for-15 effort from the floor. The Celts were crushed 124-95 and seemed to be on the ropes. Pierce was even worse in Game 4, with nine points and five personal fouls. Fortunately, Rajon Rondo stole the show and the series was even.
The playoffs are the ultimate "what have you done for me lately?" proposition, and Pierce did plenty in Game 5. He scored 21 points, second only to Ray Allen and more than King James. It was an impressive effort in a dominating 120-88 road win for Boston, a win that has fans feeling the Celtics could go all the way again.
Before Game 5, Celtics coach Doc Rivers pointed out that Pierce wasn't looking to score in situations where he could. Rivers said that had to change. It did, and the Celts were back on track.
Pierce already has a championship ring, an indelible reminder of a magical 2008 playoff run. It was a long road from his 1998-99 rookie season, when he shared the floor with the likes of Antoine Walker, Ron Mercer, Kenny Anderson, Vitaly Potapenko, Walter McCarty and others. Pierce played three seasons before even making the playoffs. It was his 10th season before he got a taste of the NBA Finals.
Bergeron hasn't been here that long. When he arrived in 2003, the Bruins were stacked with players like Joe Thornton, Brian Rolston, Mike Knuble, Sergei Samsonov, Hall Gill and Glen Murray. They added Sergei Gonchar and Michael Nylander in an effort to win the Cup before a yearlong lockout chilled the ice.
The Bruins were beaten in seven games by the Canadiens that year, blowing a 3-1 lead with three straight losses. That seemed about as bad as it could get … until now.
On Thursday, Pierce will try to follow up with another strong effort at the Garden, trying to lead his team into the conference finals and trying to avoid a Game 7 and make it to the league's final four.
The Bruins can't avoid it. They've been stretched to the max by a Flyers team that won't quit. Like Pierce after four games, Bergeron appears to be snakebit. "Puck luck" has gone against him, but in a playoff series you have to make your own luck.
The Bruins need to find some offense after scoring one goal in the last two games. Bergeron had at least one point in the first four games of this series, but if he can't find his way back onto the scoresheet, this Bruins team will long be remembered — for all the wrong reasons.
