Clever title right?  It works in a couple of different ways.  I was at the game the other night and seeing Pierce carried off the floor was a jaw dropping moment for me.  I immediately thought he was done for the Finals and started processing thoughts in my head to decide if the C's still had any chance of winning a title without their captain.  I didn't like the thoughts I was having.  I sent a text message to my friend to see what they were reporting on TV and he replies with this, "They just showed Pierce leaving in a wheelchair."   

I was struggling with what I had just read on my phone.  This couldn't really be happening could it?  Not in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.  Not to Paul Pierce.  The Truth was not even going to have a chance to prevail as I thought he would.  Then after a few agonizing minutes off the floor - Pierce came bouncing back out to the Celtics bench.  Willis Reed is the first thing that comes to mind as I see this unfold in front of my owns eyes.  Thoughts of Larry Bird against the Pacers quickly follow.  As the Garden crowd realized Pierce was coming out of the tunnel the place absolutley erupted...and just like that the tide had turned!  Now to be honest, I did turn to my friend who I've been going to the games with for years and asked him if he thought there was a chance the whole situation was played up a little bit to get the reaction that we had just witnessed.  The crowd was re-energized and so was the team.  It was a thought in my head just minutes after everything went down, however after getting home that night and seeing the replay of the injury and then hearing Pierce explain his reaction - I quickly decided it was all legit.

Phil Jackson on the other hand was not buying it yesterday.  He talked of the situation like the Celtics had done something illegal to gain a competitive advantage.  You know...the old performance enhancing injury.  Here's a quick clip of Jackson talking about the situation to the media.

Look at the picture to the right.  That picture explains why Pierce was not and is not faking an injury.  He is finally in the NBA Finals.  You always hear how in the playoffs every possession is important.  If you think Paul was going to take himself out of a game in the NBA Finals then you don't know much about Paul Pierce.  He's waited his whole life for this opportunity.  As he explained during his press conferences after the game and also during Friday's media availability...he was scared.  He's never had a knee injury in his career and he panicked when he heard a pop.  I'd imagine the feeling he had in his stomach was on a whole other level from the feeling I had in mine (or the lightweight in front of me who threw up all over the place at halftime).  I'm sure the images of Tony Allen rolling around on the court after blowing his knee out last season passed through Pierce's head as he was laying on the court.  All the years of hard work and dedication to get to the NBA Finals and it was being taken away in a flash.  Below Pierce talks to the media about the injury and his initial reaction.

So people will believe whatever they want to believe.  Much like politics, I'm sure the feelings about this injury fall along party lines.  Celtics fans appreciate the grit and toughness Pierce showed by telling Ed Lacerte that he wanted to test the knee out and get back on the court to help his team as quickly as possible.  Lakers fans have the image of Pierce with a bandage wrapped around his face in a post-game press conference after a 2005 playoff game and assume Pierce is just faking an injury to get attention.  Whichever side you fall on one thing is clear - Pierce is not going to let this situation prevent him from reaching his goal.  If the Lakers stop him then that is one thing, but he will not be stopped by a dinged up knee.  There is plenty of time in the offseason to take care of whatever might be wrong with the knee.  Right now he's in the NBA Finals and it is right where he's always wanted to be.