Pierce's Pain Inflicted on Lakers

Make no mistake this was not Larry Bird returning to the floor against the Pacers after diving for a loose ball and slamming his face against the parquet in the old Garden. But in terms of what it meant to the crowd and more importantly his team, this was just as dramatic.
Paul Pierce returned from what looked like a definite series-ending injury to lead the Celtics to a win in game 1 of the NBA Finals.
Phil Jackson's bafoon like comments after the game intimating that Pierce may have been faking and asking if he were dramatically healed during the minute and one half that he was out, was just one more reason to dislike him. The self-centered, arrogant hippie should spend more time worrying about his team's lackluster play than an alleged injury to the Celtic captain.
With 3 days off between games, expect Pierce to be back at close to full strength.