Paul Pierce sat down with SI, answering just five, short questions, but revealing plenty.
On last season in Brooklyn:
It was a rollercoaster, definitely. A lot of emotion went into it. Going through what we went through last year, I had a lot of thoughts like, ‘Shoot, I could have just stayed in Boston.’
On leaving Boston (a topic he’s waxed poetically about on numerous occasions):
I thought after a few weeks I would be alright. Then all those feelings resurfaced when I went back to play there, then they come back again when I went back to play again. It was tough to even play in that building.
On being a free agent and leaving Brooklyn this past summer:
I thought I would end up back in Brooklyn. Talking to Kevin [Garnett], we created a bond over the years and I said I would come back and finish it out with him. Things didn’t go the way we wanted, obviously. Brooklyn went in a different direction. I had to make a choice.
On the possibility of reuniting with Doc Rivers as a Clipper:
It would have been an easier transition for me being with Doc, being at home. I think I missed out on that opportunity by waiting to see what Brooklyn was going to do. When they eventually said they weren’t going to make any moves, I missed that boat. That kind of upset me
On a return to the Celtics:
Definitely. Maybe as a player, maybe as a coach, maybe upstairs [in the front office]. I follow what they are doing. I went back to Boston twice this summer, went to their practice facility. I keep up with them
Lots to digest, but a couple of prevailing themes to pull out of Paul’s words. First of all, I don’t think Paul will be taking rides on Mikhail Prokhorov’s yacht any time in the near future. By stringing things along during his free agency, the Nets made a sensible return to LA (where Paul and his family make their home in the off-season) an impossibility and denied Pierce the chance to finish his career with Garnett. The Wizards and Nets play a home-and-home on January 16th and 17th. Should be fun to watch Paul try and stick it to that joke of a franchise on consecutive nights.
Secondly, The Truth still can’t comprehend what happened last year. It’s as if the glazed look he had on his face during his introductory press conference at Barclays Center still continues to come through in his words more than a year later. Hindsight is 20-20, though, as I wonder if Paul would still be so reflective and remorseful about the move had the Nets beat the Heat and made more noise in the post-season.
Finally, we’ve heard him say it dozens of times, but doesn’t it make you feel great every time when Pierce says he’ll undoubtedly be back in Boston? Whether it’s a one-day contract, a bench role if the Celtics get competitive in the next 1-2 years or some sort of front office role, it still hits me every time he embodies “Celtics for Life.”
We’ll see ya soon, PP.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
