It's the stuff playoffs lore is made of. It's the stuff of legend. Of rivalry.
A story to add to the history of an already storied franchise. A story to go side-by-side with the Kevin McHale/Kurt Rambis clothesline moment and the Kareem/Bird elbow to the face, jaw-to-jaw smack-talking moment.
It's the first game of the much anticipated final round of the 2008 NBA playoffs.
The Celtics are being worked over by the Lakers as many expected they would be.
Why, Kobe isn't even scoring and still the Lakers seem to be in control. Why, the score isn't even that lopsided and, still—the Lakers seem to be in control.
The Celtics' team is looking downtrodden. The crowd is getting antsy—the way people get when they know a storms a'brewin'.
Then it happens.
Paul Pierce, the resident hero, the golden child, the prodigal son, goes down, hobbled by his own teammate.
It's bad. There's sobbing. Hysterics. A wheelchair. (When was the last time you saw a wheelchair in the NBA?)
I'll be honest. I am a Lakers fan. But when I saw Pierce go down, I was heartbroken. I don't like seeing a guy get hurt. I prefer for my team to beat a team that is healthy, complete, and on its best game. I don't want my championship to have an asterik next to it.
I believe in sportsmanship. In fairness. In honest gameplay.
So, when Pierce—having been so injured that he succumbed to tears, flailing, and a WHEELCHAIR—came back to the game mere moments later with nary a limp, I was mightily turned off.
Here's my opinion: (And, no, I have no facts or evidence. This is why it's an "opinion"). I don't doubt that it hurt. Perkins is a big dude. I can imagine that all that man coming down on you hurts.
But if Pierce was hurt enough for, again, a WHEELCHAIR, where was the limp?
Why was he gone for just a few minutes? Do the Celtics have some magic healing potion in the locker room? Can I have some?
Seems to me that it was a way to inspire the team—and the crowd.
And, hey, it worked. But if I want drama on ABC, I'll watch "Lost" or "Grey's Anatomy."
This is the NBA.
And just as I thought it was ugly when some of my fellow Lakers fans cheered when Pierce went down, I thought it was ugly to turn the moment into a melodrama. And a badly timed one.
You know you're in trouble when you're pulling out the dramatics for Game One.
All that being said, I have to be honest about one other thing: When Andrew Bynum went down with the knee injury that sidelined him for the remainder of the season and eventually led to his recent surgery, I got off my couch and screamed at him through the TV to walk it off and stop being such a big baby.
So, clearly, I lack a certain, shall we say, sensitivity? I thought Andrew was overreacting. And I was really wrong about that.
The difference is, Andrew didn't come back to that game to go score-crazy on his opponent. If he had, I would have held it against him much like I hold it against Pierce.
I open up the floor to angry comments. And...GO!
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4 months ago
How dare you? (trying desperately to maintain a civil tone)
Who would willingly take themselves out of a game (the single most important game of his life, by the way) just for an off chance that it might help his team. You know what else might help? Staying on the court and playing your game, the one that has made you a superstar and gotten you this far.
The last time a player was in a wheelchair? D-Wade, and he was in a chair for a shoulder injury (wimp).
Sure he hasn't been the same, but I'm sure Pierce is hurting today. We'll see how gimpy he is in game 2.
Question: You were 'heartbroken' when Pierce got hurt, but you yelled at your future franchise center when he got hurt?
I have to admit though, despite myself, part of me enjoys reading your articles.
from 4 months ago
I will accept your disagreement as a difference of opinion and I am glad you enjoy reading my rantings.
I yell at Bynum because I love him.
Did you read Phillips post from below?
He is more mad at me than you have ever been...
4 months ago
Dude, great article, so true...I don't think that you are correct that the Lakers were in control though, I mean they finished the first half with a 5 point lead that the celts could probably have come back from without Pierce. Still, this was a good analysis...honestly a WHEELCHAIR?!?!?!?
4 months ago
Have you ever been hurt in sports? I have. Have you ever played injured, using only adrenaline and desire to win? I have.
I badly sprained my ankle in high school and couldn't put weight on it. I had it taped then went right back in the game because I was hot. Didn't feel the pain then but I sure felt the pain afterwards.
I've seen the Knicks' John Starks dislocate a finger, go to trainer Mike Saunders during a timeout and have him set the finger then and there. That's guts.
Don't go underestimating pain. I'm a physician now and I see pain all the time. I also see how guts and willpower help people overcome pain.
Seriously, EF. You.
from 4 months ago
Seriously Phil, the EF you? Is that necessary? Was she talking about your mom? Do guts and willpower help you overcome pain in a situation requiring a wheelchair? You KNOW that was ridiculous.
If he was hurt SO bad that he needed to be wheeled away, wouldn't the smarter move (since it was game one) be to recoup and rehab and not risk worsening an already wheelchair necessitating injury? Whatever, he doesn't need to care about his well-being and health, but if he cared about his team, he would not play with such a serious injury.
You mention adrenaline and desire to win, though the same chemical/emotional combination could lead to a grown man weeping, and did. I think it's very likely he thought he was worse off than he actually was, hence being able to come back out and play.
I guess we'll see how injured he really is, next game.
I hope your bedside manner is more gracious than your commenting etiquette.
from 4 months ago
Dear Phillip,
You and me are just the same. Your former high school sports glory and the ankle sprain that you were able to rise above was, in fact, my inspiration for last night.
While reading your post, I was secretly afraid that you may air your disagreement with class, especially considering that you are a member of the medical profession.
Boy was I pleased when I was proven wrong and you ended your post with a resounding "ef. you".
Thanks, Again.
Love,
Paul Pierce.
P.S. I take it you will be in the locker room during game one?
4 months ago
I agree he was faking...but it was great drama and an awesome start to game 1. Let's face it, sports aside, this is television. It needs drama.
4 months ago
Paul Pierce was not faking that...this is not the only time he has played injured
In september, 2000 he got stabbed 11 times in the face and neck and still didn't miss a game that year...
from 4 months ago
This is like the 50 cent comeback, "But he got shot nine times." Doesn't make him a good rapper. And being knifed in the neck, 11 times, does not mean he didn't exaggerate his pain.
Terrible analogy, by the way. Peirce may not have missed a game that year, but did he jog onto the court with a knife sticking out of his neck? What's that period of time called when there's no basketball, is it the off season? Yeah, I think it is.
from 4 months ago
Jordana: I'm pretty sure Brock was just trying to illustrate Pierce's overall toughness. Which analogy was "terrible"? His analogy? Or yours about 50 cent being shot 9 times and still being a crappy rapper? I'm confused.
I don't recall Pierce jogging onto the court with a knife in his neck and, really, I'm not sure that even makes sense. But, since you are completely unaware, it typically takes time to recover from 11 STAB WOUNDS! So, basically you're saying you'd be impressed and convinced by Pierce's toughness if he played with a knife sticking out of his neck? Wow. You're hard to please.
Oh, and yes, when there's not bball being played it's called the off-season. How does that relate to your argument? I'm still confused.
from 4 months ago
Dude, if he had gotten stabbed DURING the game and then come back to play?? That would have been AWESOME.
Wait...
What were we talking about?
4 months ago
Embarrassing to watch. I watch hockey players crawl to the bench, have teeth knocked out, getting stitched up on the bench. If someone pulled that in hockey they would be ridiculed for the remainder of their career. Show some pride. The funny part is the majority of people call him a "warrior" when a more honorable person would get up, stretch it out and continue playing.
4 months ago
You don't just fake injuries like that. Pierce is too good a player and cares too much about his team to abandon them by exiting the game and go into the locker room. Pierce wants to be on the floor for as long as possible in these Finals. He's not just going to fake an injury and go rest in the back for a couple minutes, then come back. Besides, why would you even think to fake that? Athletes don't think that way. If they can get back up, they do so as quickly as possible. They don't lie there and think about how they can create drama. That's ridiculous, especially to accuse someone like Pierce of doing that.
from 4 months ago
Saying 'you don't just fake injuries like that' is kind of a big assumption. Maybe you personally wouldn't. But then again, maybe on this huge national stage, things would be different. You don't know the guy personally to know what he would or wouldn't do. Plus it's probably not totally black or white. As I stated in the article, I'm sure he was hurt. Perkins is HUGE.
But I could see how, at some point after going down, hitting the floor, hearing the audience FREAK OUT, seeing his teammates rush to him, he may have thought to milk the moment. Get the crowd and his team into it.
I could see myself doing it... It's not the craziest concept.
4 months ago
Faked the injury? Really? Tell me what motivation he had to do that. Have you ever injured a knee? I have (I sprained it). When I did, I thought my knee had blown up and that I would never play sports again. A player as good as pierce doesn't think to himself: "hmmm i'll change this game by faking an injury." that is ludicrous.
from 4 months ago
Um, I said, in the article, what I thought his motivation was: to get the crowd and the team all up in it.
And i don't think it was preplanned.
I just think, after he hit the ground, he made a choice and went with it.
It's possible.
I ain't the only one saying it...
4 months ago
I knew this article was coming, and I'm glad to have read it. I agree that the whole deal was overhyped.
When he was carried off the court; when he was in the wheelchair rolling through the Garden's tunnels, I thought he was done. If not for the playoffs then at least for the rest of Game 1. Then the talking heads break the story that he was in the locker room insisting that he try to put weight on his leg, with the doctors strongly suggesting that he not do so. Paul Pierce would have none of that, and he gingerly put weight on the leg and it held.
As soon as the talking heads said that, visions of Willis Reed and Game 7 1970 playoffs fired off in my head.
Coincidentally that was against the Lakers too, wasn't it?
But really...I don't know how anyone gets so injured that he's carried off the court by three people, he can't even lean on two people and limp awayt; then rides a wheelchair to a room where doctors say don't put weight on it...and minutes later is back on the court draining 3 pointers.
Even if all he needed was time off his feet, that time could've been spent on the bench, where most players sit wondering if they can play through a tweaked joint or muscle.
from 4 months ago
Exactly. All of these replies above of "an athlete wouldn't do that" are a bit crazy. It's a TOTAL posibility. In fact, probable. Did you watch him JOG onto the court?
Here's the thing: if he was actually injured and came back like that to play on adrenaline as some guys have suggested, he's seriously risking the Celtics chances. If I'm Doc, I'd rather lose game 1 than risk having Pierce at 60% the rest of the series. Don't you think?
And I totally agree with you that the media is overhyping it. They love the drama. As one of the other guys above posted: it is TV. So it's made a bigger deal than it is...
4 months ago
Let's see: Pierce is playing basketball, he goes down thanks to a man twice his size (Perkins), and he hears a pop in his knee...did I mention he was playing BASKETBALL? Any time you hear a pop in your knee while playing a sport thats highly dependent - and pressurized - on the knee area, that's an immediate cause for concern. What's Pierce's incentive to pull a stunt in the NBA Finals that involves him leaving the game in a wheelchair? I mean, do you think they drew this up before the game?
I don't think Pierce requested the wheelchair or to even be carried off. But are trainers and team going to take any chances when he says he heard a pop in his knee? Does Pierce have a history of being a liar that we can point to? His nickname is the TRUTH mind you. Oh, and he was limping. He struggled to shoot a free throw after returning from the locker room. What do you want him to do? Crawl on his hands and knees from the locker room with tears streaming down his face in order to be totally convinced he was hurt?
Laker fans shouldn't worry about the magnitude of Pierce's injury. I'd be far more concerned about Kobe's shot selection and his disappearing act in the 4th quarter.
from 4 months ago
Nice analysis of my comment, John.
If my diction and sentence structure confuses you, I apologize. I will spend more time editing subsequent comments on community blogs. I will make it a priority.
To clear things up for you - bringing up the fact that Peirce was stabbed 11 times (not during a game, therefore it's completely irrelevant, anyway) has nothing to do with the degree of his injury in game 1 or the need for a wheelchair. Seems like you have a problem with figurative language, but I'll use a simile now since the analogy wasn't clear: Using Peirce's stabbing to qualify his skills or dedication IS LIKE using 50 Cent's shooting to qualify or validate his music.
Is that easier for you you to understand?
from 4 months ago
It wasn't so much the diction and structure as much as it was the irrational argument and incoherence. Also, the 50 cent comparison came out of nowhere. I always thought comparing wounded rappers and basketball players was essentially the same thing. Uh, right. Well played.
Like I said, the comment above concerning Pierce's stabbing incident was to illustrate his toughness. The comment you responded to above said, "Paul Pierce was not faking that...this is not the only time he has played injured." Yeah, that's it. In actuality, it has everything to do with last nights game because Pierce has proven his perseverance before. How are past injuries - and playing through them - irrelevant? Basically, if he can play while recovering from stab wounds, then a pop in the knee is small potatoes for him.
Exaggeration of pain, you say? Give me one reason why he would feel the need to do that. Does he a have a history of exaggerating pain that I'm not aware of? A knee injury in basketball is as serious as it gets. If anyone is exaggerating this story it's probably the media.
As for the wheelchair, do you really think the trainers and coaches are going to make him walk with a knee that just made a popping noise? Why would they risk anything?
So, if Pierce was stabbed DURING a game, then you'd be sold on all this. I get it now. I'm glad we cleared this up.
I'd also like to add that Andrew Bynum's injury parallels the Notorious BIG shooting since, you know, we're throwing out random and convoluted analogies and similes.
from 4 months ago
John, I think I've been pretty clear. Peirce's stabbing has NOTHING to do with his game play. NOTHING. Just as Fiddy's shooting has nothing to do with his beats. Got it?
Why would Peirce play with a knife in his neck? Are you that limited that you don't understand sarcasm?
You got nothing, John. The whole wheelchair situation is a joke. And Peirce should be embarrassed. The issue is not that it's shameful to be injured and need to be carried off the court. The issue is, he was was hurt so bad that he needed to be carried off the court and wheeled away, BUT THEN came out and played as if it NEVER HAPPENED.
from 4 months ago
I think I was pretty clear too. Did you read my post above our comments? I answered your "carried off" and "wheeled away" concerns. Yes, Pierce was embarrassed and he even said so in a press conference. It wasn't his choice to be carried off or wheeled to the locker room. What's he going to do? Sprint to the locker room? Like one of the below comments says: Dwyane Wade was wheeled off the court after hurting his SHOULDER. No problems with that? I can't help but think you're still bitter about the Pistons elimination courtesy of the C's. It's okay, you had your championships. As a Boston fan I know there is always next year ;) Good talk.
from 4 months ago
John, I want to ask you a question. And answer honestly...
If the same exact thing had happened but it was Kobe and not Pierce, would you be making the same argument?
I don't know for sure but my guess is that you'd not.
You'd be either saying he was faking it or that he was a big wuss for the crying, flailing, face burying stuff.
Be honest.
If this was Kobe, would you still be taking your stand?
Because, if this were Kobe, I'd be saying the exact same thing.
I get that you love the Celtics.
Why wouldn't you? They're a good team. But c'mon...
And, you are right about one thing: I AM concerned about Kobe's shot selection in the 4th quarter...
from 4 months ago
Of course I wouldn't be making the same argument, just like you wouldn't have written this in the first place if it was Kobe who went down (come on, you know you wouldn't). You stated that you were a Laker fan in your piece so I have no problem admitting my personal preferences.
The thing is if this were Kobe would anyone be shocked? Doesn't he have a pretty crystal clear history of bitching, crying, and complaining? I mean, not just about perceived bad calls, but about his teammates, coaching, and the entire Lakers organization. So, yeah, I would fully expect him to "exaggerate the injury" and want to make an entrance like the total ego-maniac that he is. But that doesn't mean I would write about it based on conspiracy theories and pure speculation.
Be honest: Who of the two is more likely to say to himself, " I think I'll milk this moment for all it's worth, purposely abandon my team at a crucial moment in game 1 of the finals, and then make a glorious entrance" ?
Pierce on the other hand...well, I'm still waiting for someone to suggest incentive and a definite reason (and maybe some proof that he put on an act) for him to do what you accuse him of doing. Pierce has an excellent history of playing through injuries and just being tough, for lack of a better word. Nothing that you mentioned should make anyone entirely convinced. In short, it's a Laker fan saying "Pierce faked it" and nothing more.
If you're playing basketball and your knee pops, you take it damn seriously. Obviously, it was more serious than he - or anyone- thought but that doesn't suggest an acting job. Athletes aren't actors. Well, except for Ray Allen of course.
from 4 months ago
Sorry, "LESS serious than anyone thought"
from 4 months ago
Honestly? I'd be saying the same thing about kobe. But, admittedly, I'd probably be saying that it was great how he faked the extent of his injury and got the crowd and his team all riled up.
Mainly because I grew up HATING the Celtics (I'm sure you understand) and I want them to LOSE. And the only reason I don't write articles titled "I HATE THE CELTICS" is because I like KG so much.
As I said, i ain't got proof. But I think it's unfair for you to assume you know that Pierce would never blah, blah, blah. Firstly, you don't know he wouldn't. Say he did fake it. It certainly isn't such an EVIL thing to do. It isn't a dig on his character. I think it's a thing that any ambitious person with a task in mind is capable of doing. it isn't injuring someone else - that's unforgivable.
I think it's possible. No... probably. But I don't think it was premeditated or malicious.
Either way, i'm sure you're as excited as i am about tonight's game. Have fun and enjoy!
4 months ago
Whoever wrote this article, and whoever thinks this article has merit, please leave bleacherreport.com immediately. To even suggest Pierce was faking is hilarity in itself. He is still injured, probably not going to play 100% for the rest of the series, AND WE LOST Perkins for the game.
You think Doc Rivers loved to have Pierce gone out of a game in the 3rd. What if he did? You think the plan of having Rajon Rondo go one-on-one for 3 minutes nad have the Lakers spread the lead ( which they were in at the time ) was a sure-fire plan to win? When you're trailing the Lakers? In the Finals?
You think The Celtics want to extend the spectacle by having our 2nd best defensive player on a bench when his ankle rolled off of Pierce's? You think PJ Brown will be able to carry the center spot on Sunday if he gets into foul trouble and Perkins can't play.
Please, release your membership from this site. If you plan on releasing anything this hilarious again, go check and see if the Onion will take in your work.
Don't make Lakers' fans look silly, because this is already the 20th stupid article on this website. Where is the editor to hide all this stupidity.
WRITE BETTER! MAKE SOME SENSE!
from 4 months ago
I see your point but you're saying that there's NO chance? No chance whatsoever that he was overplaying his hand?
Read the comments above...
Half of you agree and half don't. So it isn't a prospect SO crazy that I need to be run out of the city by angry townfolks weilding burning torches... Surely it's not that crazy...
Don't throw me off of bleacherreport!!! Please!!! I love it here!!! It's my favorite hobby of all time.
Also, Red, this is not the fist time you have disagreed with me.
I thank you for reading, sir...
4 months ago
THE LAST TIME I SEEN A WHEELCHAIR WOULD HAVE TO BE WHEN DWAYNE WADE INJURED HIS SHOULDER AGAINST HOUSTON LAST YEAR. A WHEELCHAIR FOR YOUR SHOULDER, NOBODY QUESTIONED HIM. SO WHY WOULD IT MATTER NOW WITH PIERCE
from 4 months ago
Um. Did Dwayne Wade come back within five minutes of real time to score 19 or so points? So, yeah... That would be my guess as to why nobody questioned him.
4 months ago
Here's the deal. I don't think he was faking. I think he's a wuss. Honestly, that's much worse. Poor Kevin Garnet couldn't even look at the camera when asked to comment on what a "warrior" Pierce was for coming back into the game. Coming back from what? A strained meniscus? Wow, that's inspirational. Those of us who have suffered major knee injuries in our athletic careers all felt horrible for Pierce until it turned out there was nothing wrong with him. Then we felt betrayed.
from 4 months ago
You're right.
Either he's the guy who was faking/overreacting...
Or he's the wuss.
Either guy sucks...
Because if his initial hysterical reaction was real, he had no business jogging back onto the court.
4 months ago
The stabbing was not related at all to how Paul Pierce played...
I was trying to show Pierce's toughness and his ability to play through injuries
But i guess some people didn't understand that...
4 months ago
I agree. I think he was hurt but not as bad as he was playing it to be. When I seen him on the floor and getting carried off the floor and wheelchaired to the locker room I thought he tore something and was maybe missing the 08-09 season. But then he came back after only 2-3 minutes of game time about 10 minutes real time. COME ON PAUL!!! Grow a pair of balls!!!
4 months ago
"I think he was hurt but not as bad as he was playing it to be....."
There is no playing anything when you are injured. With a knee injury and a POP, most know this not a good thing and it is only logical to assume the worst. You see it all the time in sports, an ACL, MCL tear and it is all over.
Luckily this was not the case but at the moment you are scared to death, especially with all that is on the line.
As it is, we will not know the impact until he tries to play in Game 2.
How did those 3's feel? You can't handle the TRUTH!!!!!
from 4 months ago
I guess we know the "impact" of his injury now... Look, I'm not a Lakers fan, but it seems to me, it's the Celtics fans commenting on this board that "can't handle the TRUTH."
4 months ago
It does seem fishy that pierce was okay after 5 minutes when he couldn't walk and had to be carried off by his teamates. If this was kobe i would be skeptical as you are to pierce right now. but pierce has never been injured his whole career except for a little of last year. Pierce is a fighter. he has been waiting for this day his whole life i don't think he meant to be heroic.
4 months ago
Frankly, you are entitled to your opinion, but I respectfully disagree. He was not as hurt as his reaction made it seem but he wasn't faking it.
Come one... 280 pound Kendrick Perkins landed on him and he heard his knee pop, as a few others have said, he assumed the worst. When it was established that the injury was not series ending, he went back out, after a cortizone shot and after putting on a knee brace.
His name shouldn't be mentioned with Willis Reed but what he did was gutsy nontheless. It was a real injury and he played through it. If he was driving to the hoop easily with the brace I would see the beef there but his main contribution came from 3 pointers.
Also, you ask John whether or not he'd be defending Kobe for a situation similar to this... would you be? the answer is probably yes.
Furthermore, the wheelchair bit is being overplayed, it's not like Pierce wanted the cameras on him when it happened, they followed him, not the other way around. he wasn't faking, and he wasn't being a wuss, he was in a lot of pain when the injury happened and he assumed the worst, and then he came back out and helped his team win.
Admittedly, I am a Boston fan and I've seen people on teams that Iroot for fake injuries. With the best example being Willie McGinest's phantom leg injury against the Colts. It gave the Pats a much needed clock stoppage and the camera cut to McGinest walking around on the sideline. His acting was also quite poor.
Pierce looked like he was in pain and had no reason to fake an injury. The very notion that a class act like Pierce would abandon his team in the middle of a game is ludicrous to me, but that's just me.
And as I said, you are entitled to your opinion and I am entitled to mine, despite the fact that I vehemently disagree with you.
4 months ago
yeah what they said
4 months ago
I don't think he was faking it. I played a game on the offensive line ( I was a backup but I had a good 15 plays left) with a broken wrist. Not a sprained wrist, but broken. Afterwards, I was in a full arm cast for 8 weeks. Pierce's injury wasn't nearly as bad as that and he spent the game behind the three point line.
4 months ago
"Either he's the guy who was faking/overreacting... Or he's the wuss."
I totally agree on this point. Ok, let's say he wasn't faking the injury. Then he squealed and squirmed for a few minutes over a minor injury? I understand at first if you feel a pop in the knee, but then once you realize it's not torn, why do you keep moaning?
And don't tell me it's not a minor injury, he played again in Game 2, and played well again. It was nothing and "The Truth" lost a little bit of my respect.
P.S. I'm not a Celtics or Lakers fan, so I don't really have an underlying bias.
4 months ago
He didn't realize it wasn't torn until he got in the locker room, which was.....wait for it.....when he came back!
It's not like he's the one that keeps saying "Oh, I'm hurt, I don't know if I'll play in games 2 or 3 or whatever" The media is hyping this up, which means he gets all the questions about his injury, to which he responded before game 2, "I'm going to play"
He's not playing it up, the team isn't releasing press releases aboout how he might not play or anything like that, most of the coverage is done indepenantly of anything Pierce or the Celtics do.
No superstar in his right mind would think "I think it's worth me, the best scorer on a team, playing in the biggest game of my career, taking a few minutes off, when we're not exactly getting killed on the court."
If they were down by a bunch, I'd be more skeptical, but I don't think that those kind of theatrics are at the forefront of Pierce's mind.
from 4 months ago
Alex,
"He's not playing it up, the team isn't releasing press releases aboout how he might not play"
You are WRONG about that.
The team was talking a LOT about how Pierce was going to be a game time decision for Act 2 - er, I mean Game 2. Sorry. Once people start performing, I get confused...
Of COURSE they're not going to draw too much attention to it. They KNOW it was slim shady. I'm not a PR pro but, seems to me, in their position, I'd want to...
A) say that the guy is hurting and will be a 'game time decision'.
B) not draw ANY attention to it.
Your hate for the Lakers is too strong, young Alex, for you to judge this one clearly...
4 months ago
Tina, I just find it funny that you were yelling at Bynum through the TV. He can't hear you.
I don't understand why some people seem to be upset he was put in a wheelchair. Think about this: You're the trainer of the Boston Celtics and the franchise player is rolling in pain on the floor and gets carried to the tunnel entrance; are you really going to make him walk to the trainer's room or are you going to put him in a wheelchair? There is a lot of money invested in these players. The franchise is going to do everything possible to prevent injuries or prevent injuries from becoming more serious.
4 months ago
I'm getting to this late, but this was awesome. Love the responses, Zina.
3 months ago
an apology, one month too late. but better late than never.
I realize now I wrote my comment in a fit of emotion, which I rarely display. I realize also that my comments, were quite unprofessional. I should have let my initial emotional flare subside before writing down anything. If I acted this way in real life I would probably get sued all the time.
Basically my reaction is similar to Gary's. We're faulting Paul Pierce for being put in a wheelchair? We doubt if he was really in pain?
It is precisely this attitude that gets doctors criticized, remember the case of that african-american woman who collapsed and was left unattended for 45 minutes in a new york hospital ER? Same mentality. "Oh, it ain't real."
Well, forgive me if my training is to assume the worst and try to treat first.
Forgive me if I take very very exceptional offense at people who don't give people in pain the benefit of the doubt.
If you had said that you doubt the severity of his pain, I probably would not have gotten so angry and cursed at you. But you accused Pierce of "faking". That is a very serious accusation, not unlike accusing a patient of faking an illness just to score some narcotics.
Yes I got pissed. Yes I mouthed off unprofessionally. However, I ask readers both to forgive me and to understand WHY I got so mad.
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