Paul Pierce Notches Triple-Double, Continues to Do It All While Celtics Battle Through Injuries

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Dec 19, 2010

Paul Pierce Notches Triple-Double, Continues to Do It All While Celtics Battle Through Injuries BOSTON — Sunday afternoon brought the sixth career triple-double for Celtics captain Paul Pierce. More importantly, it brought a victory.

The Celtics beat the Indiana Pacers on Sunday afternoon, 99-88, behind a sublime performance from Pierce — 18 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds for his first-triple double since March 8, 2006. But the most important number to the C's wasn't 18, 12 or 10 — it was 13, as in the length of the team's winning streak since Nov. 21. By all accounts, the captain's stats were secondary.

"He did what we needed him to do for us to win," Ray Allen said. "That's what being a great player is all about."

"I don't know, what does it mean?" Pierce said of his triple-double. "I'm just happy we got the win, truthfully. All those individual stats are good, but they really don't mean too much if we don't win. It's all about the process — we're trying to build something. We want to win these games and get better."

Scoring and rebounding have always been Pierce's strengths. An 18-10 performance is solid, but nothing especially noteworthy for the Celtics' captain. But the 12 assists are the story — they reflect his ability to adapt his game to the circumstances around him.

With both Rajon Rondo and Delonte West out for the foreseeable future with injuries, the Celtics have looked in unusual places to find ball-handlers. They can no longer count on Rondo to be the engine that makes their ball movement run, and they've tried to make Pierce fit that role.

"He's our point forward right now," head coach Doc Rivers said. "We're basically putting him in Rondo's spot in a lot of ways, for him to be the facilitator, and he's doing a good job of it. You know, there's a point we make with this team — when the ball moves, there's assists. Guys are going to get them. And they're getting them now."

Perhaps earlier in his career, Pierce wouldn't have been capable of taking on this kind of role. Being the primary ball-handler for an All-Star-laden lineup is challenging — with that many weapons at your disposal, it's hard to have the vision and judgment to make snap decisions.

But this is Pierce's evolution unfolding before our eyes. He used to pile up points, now he does whatever the game demands of him.

"I pride myself in trying to be a complete player," Pierce said. "Coming into the draft [back in 1998], I was known as a scorer, but for most of my career, I've worked on a lot of things on both sides of the ball. Even coming into this season, I've continued to pride myself in being the best overall player that I can be."

The injuries have piled up for the Celtics — and we may have seen another one Sunday, as Glen Davis began battling back pain — but as long as the C's still have Pierce, they can power through it. They've got the one guy who can fill any role necessary.

"He's a chameleon," Rivers said. "I've known that for seven years. He's a great guy to have on your team, because he does so many things. I think people just look at him as a scorer, but really, with his IQ, he's a very smart basketball player."

"He's a great player," Shaquille O'Neal agreed. "One of the leaders on this team. He passes the ball when necessary, he shoots the ball when necessary, and he plays defense when necessary. He looked good out there today."

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