Paul Pierce's Absence Will Hurt Boston Celtics in Opener vs. New York Knicks

Paul Pierce is not going to play in the Boston Celtics’ game against the New York Knicks today, according to A. Sherrod Blakley

This ends the drama after the team officially announced that he made the flight yesterday to the Big Apple, but would not elaborate on his status for the game.

Alex Raskin of CBSSports.com reported that the team is leaning towards going with Sasha Pavlovic at the 3 in their starting lineup.

This is going to greatly hurt the Celtics' chances of opening the year with a win against the biggest threat to their Atlantic Division dominance.

The Celtics’ captain was brilliant in three games against the Knicks last season, averaging 26 points, 10 rebounds and 3.7 assists while shooting almost 53 percent from the field, over 58 percent from three and nearly 90 percent at the charity stripe.

He was also instrumental in their 4-0 sweep of the Knicks in the postseason, logging big minutes and scoring huge buckets.

New York hasn't shown a commitment to playing defense under Mike D'Antoni, and an aging veteran like Pierce is still going to be able to get his numbers easily and help his team win on both ends of the floor against them.

The Celtics aren’t going to outrun anyone or win a shootout, but their suffocating defense is a defining characteristic of the team, and no one understands its importance more than Pierce, who often guards the best opposing perimeter player.

The Celtics needed Pierce to lock down Carmelo Anthony, and his absence will benefit the Knicks small forward, who will more than likely go off and score a ton of points this game.

Marquis Daniels is a decent defender, and Sasha Pavlovic isn’t a complete waste when he’s on the floor, but neither player exhibits the tenacity that Paul Pierce possesses when he’s marking a world-class player like ‘Melo.

Look for the Celtics to struggle to contain the Knicks and lose the game because No. 34 is sitting.