Paul stands tall for Brooklyn
Pierce helps Nets close in on first-place Raptors
Paul Pierce motivated his Brooklyn teammates, implored the raucous crowd of 17,351 at Barclays Center to make as much noise as possible and sent everyone home happy by drilling a crucial 3-pointer in the final minutes.
In other words, he did exactly what the Nets were hoping he would when they acquired him from Boston in a blockbuster draft-day deal last June: provide a star-studded but unaccomplished team with the determination and grit necessary to make a serious run at a thus-far elusive NBA title.
The fact that Pierce did all this with a right-shoulder injury that head coach Jason Kidd thought would sideline the 35-year-old future Hall of Famer for the Nets’ critical showdown with visiting first-place Toronto Monday night made his performance all the more noteworthy.