The Celtics breathed a sign of relief this week with the news of Paul Pierce's foot, which is sprained after fears it might be broken. Losing their All-Star small forward for an extended period would have been a huge blow to the Eastern Conference contenders.
As it is, Boston is limping into the All-Star break thanks to injuries and inconsistency. The Celtics (30-16) continue to lead the downtrodden Atlantic Division despite going just 7-11 since Dec. 27. Longtime Celtics great and current NBA TV analyst Kevin McHale, though, said it's no time to panic.
"They are getting where they want to be," McHale said. "When you get to the age where Kevin Garnett is, and Paul Pierce and Ray Allen is, it's always going to be after the All-Star break. You do pace yourself. When you're 22 or 23 you're out there going gung ho, you have no idea what you're doing anyway. You're playing on energy and running around.
"As you get older you start conserving your energy and you start to realize you can be 40-10 at the All-Star break. If you play poorly down the stretch and don't get in the playoffs on a roll, healthy and playing well, it doesn't make any difference."
http://www.nba.com/2010/news/features/a ... index.html (scroll down a bit)
Frankly, I don't know what to believe. It seems a little hard to believe that they are purposely struggling, but with the recent amount of injuries, it does seem like a good strategy. Your thoughts?
