Series Averages:
24.3 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 3.8 apg, 1.5 stl
Series Percentages:
51.2% FG, 44.8% 3pt, 83.9% FT
Series highs:
32 points (Game 4)
13 rebounds (Game 6)
5 assists (Games 1, 2 and 6)
2 steals (Games 1, 3, 4, and 6)
With no LeBron James to worry about in this series, Paul feasted on the likes of Vince Carter and Matt Barnes. I've lost count of how many times Paul blew right past Carter and got to the lane for a bucket or a foul. The Magic tried switching Matt Barnes onto Pierce and he promptly started falling for the Pierce upfake... which led to the typical Pierce play where he waits for the contact and then puts up a shot.
And last night was the coup de grace... where Pierce put the finishing touches on the Magic's season by hitting the boards (a game high 13, one more than Dwight Howard) and preventing Orlando from getting anywhere close to a second chance basket... and then calmly knocking down shots in the 3rd to dismiss any far-fetched dreams of a comeback.
Just look at those percentages. All of them were post-season highs for Paul. In fact, all of his numbers were higher in this series. All of those averages, all of those percentages, the minutes he played... everything.
A lot of different guys did great things... but Paul Pierce was the one constant as the Celtics advanced to the NBA Finals
Photo by Elsa/Getty Images