Rare mental mistakes from Pierce sinks C's
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| It was a frustrating final minute in Brooklyn for The Truth |
With the Celtics in dire need of points, they did what they've done many times before - turned to their captain. Pierce got into the paint and drew a foul, but became visibly frustrated when his lay-up rimmed out. A potential three point play turned into two free throw attempts, which Pierce couldn't capitalize on. After the game, Pierce owned up to the mistake.
I was thinking about the lay-up too much..I take a lot of blame for down the stretch. I'm the guy they call upon to make the plays. I didn't make the plays tonight."
It didn't help that Pierce compounded the missed free throws by fouling Deron Williams when the Celtics did not need to foul (a defensive stop would've given the green the ball back with at least 19 seconds left, trailing by 3). Williams knocked down the freebies, and the loss was basically sealed. Not Pierce's finest pair of possessions, that's for sure.
At the end of the day, the fact that the Celts lost to a good Nets team on the road without Rajon Rondo was not shocking. But the fact that a mental lapse by Pierce play a pivotal role, well that was.
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