Boston Celtics: Is Paul Pierce in a Slump or Just Too Old?

The Celtics lost a tough game to the Bulls last night after making a comeback from down 20. They made the game close and certainly could have won it if not for one liability on the court. That liability was, believe it or not, the captain, Paul Pierce.

He was abysmal in the game. Although he scored 13 points, he only shot 3-of-12 from the field and struggled mightily in the second half when the Celtics needed him most. The Celtics would have most likely been better off keeping Mickael Pietrus on the floor for the end of the game.

Pierce even had his struggles defensively, allowing Luol Deng to score 21 points.

Unfortunately, this is not the first time we have seen this movie. In fact, during the Celtics' three-game losing streak, Pierce could be blamed for all of the losses.

Against the Mavs he scored only seven points and was nearly invisible for the majority of the game. And before that, he scored 10 points on 3-of-17 shooting in a loss to the Pacers.

So far this season he is posting a career-low in points per game (13.7) and is averaging over five points less per game than last season. Even worse is his shooting percentage from the field, which is an inexcusable 35 percent.

This raises the question, what is wrong with Pierce? Is he in slump or has Father Time finally caught up with him?

He could potentially be in a slump considering he scored 21 and 24 points in wins against the Washington Wizards and New Jersey Nets, respectively.

But then again, if you watched him play, you would notice a certain drop in play from last season. He does not have as quick of a first step and even his patented step-back isn't as effective anymore. His shot is still there, but his ability to create his own shots seems to be fading.

It is hard to think about Pierce finally aging and his play decreasing because he has been a Celtic forever. The Celtics acquired Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett knowing that it wouldn't be long before they aged, but when they drafted Pierce, they had no such thoughts. They been with him and he has been with them through the worst of times and the best of times.

He has been the "Captain" and "The Truth" for the majority of his career. And although he still goes by the same aliases, it doesn't seem he can do the same things.

But this is by no means and end to his career or even a sign that he can no longer contribute. In fact, I still think he can score close to 20 points a game.

All he needs to do is change his game, just like Allen and Garnett have done in response to their age. He should take less isolation shots and rely on the majority of his offense for catch-and-shoot opportunities.

If Pierce can get open for shots, Rajon Rondo will find him and he can score a considerable amount of points that way. Allen and Garnett once were premier one-on-one scorers like Pierce once was too, but they are now mostly spot-up shooters off of Rondo's feeds. Pierce can easily do the same thing, because although he is still, and always will be, the Captain, it is now Rondo's team.

So although Pierce may be too old to score like he used to, he is by no means too old to score. And if he can tweak his game slightly, he will be able to get back on track and help the Celtics win again.