Questin Richardson did an excellent job on Paul Pierce Monday afternoon, holding him to just 10 points.
Richardson is not known as one of the league’s top defenders. Did he rise to the occasion and body him up, deny him the ball, bump him at every turn?
Did he put a hand in his face with every shot? Did he get ‘digs’ and strip him on drives? Was it deflections? Must have been mad deflections, right?
Was he fighting through picks – going over the top to stay with him like glue? How about out and out steals? Pick him up at halfcourt and run him into traps?
Quentin Richardson found a much easier way to stop Paul Pierce.
He used some of the smallest muscles in his body, those around his mouth and his vocal cords, and some dramatic acting to get Paul Pierce to respond in kind and get them both thrown out of the game. Mission accomplished.
If you will, it was a trapping defense afterall. He wedged Paul between himself and the referees. Paul fell into the ‘trap’ and put his destiny in the hands of the zebras.
My guess is that it was part of the game plan – “Q-Rich get into Pierce’s head. He can’t ignor your stuff.”
Maybe Q is smarter than Paul. It was ‘his’ game plan just for ‘The Thruth.’
Or maybe it was a spontaneous thing. It just happened. But I remember that Q-Rich was in denial the first time the Celtics handed the Knicks their collective heads in preseason 101-61, a 40 point thrashing that was the new look Celtics very first devastating win. The Cs had won their first 2 preseason games by 4 and 9 points. Richard had 3 points in that game. Pierce had 22. This time it was Pierce 10, Richardson 0. He scored nothing and still narrowed the margin
Like reading entrails or leaves in a tea cup, we were witnessing foreshadowing of both team’s futures. Little did we know that this was the direction of each team in a nutshell. Richardson would not give any credit to the Celtics and if I recall correctly, he was the only Knick who was upset and fighting to win long after his team mates threw in the towel.
Teams have been coming after the Celtics harder and harder with every win – physically, and in some cases, verbally. The Cs have sometimes responded in kind.
Paul thinks he was perhaps thrown out without just cause. Doc thinks otherwise. Coach Rivers remembers back to his first year at the helm of the Boston franchise. Pierce and Walker both were involved in antics that could been game deciding, in the play-offs against the Pacers. Doc wants no more of that. He doesn’t want the team’s players to lose focus and get involved in the mind and word games that teams will use to get to this juggernaut of a team.
Wise advice, I would say.
Quentin Richardson played great defense on Pierce. But it wasn’t with great footwork, staying in front of Paul’s body. It was with great mouth work, staying in the front of Paul’s mind. The Celtics won the game, but you could argue that Paul Pierce lost the battle, though he might disagree.
But he must know that he is more valuable to the Celtics on the court than off. He has been tremendous this year, as a player and as a team mate. When he was on the bench in the Philly game in the 4th quarter, he was the most animated cheerleader on the bench, rising multiple times to cheer on his mates as they finished off the Sixers. But Paul, you must know that the team needs you in the game far more than they do as a cheerleader.
Advantage Q. Paul……your move.
