Paul Pierce Having Career Year From 3-Point Range
The optimism, of course, stemmed from the combination of Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett — three bona fide superstars who were sure to bring a championship to Boston.
The
concern, however, was that as three players aged into their 30s, their
bodies — and, as a result, their games — would be on a steady decline.
As
The Big Three progress in year three, the results have been mostly
positive. Save for Garnett's knee injury, the trio has worked out as
well as it possibly could have. And while that's no surprise, the vast
improvement that Pierce has shown from beyond the arc is somewhat
unexpected.
Perhaps playing alongside one of the game's best shooters in history has aided Pierce, but whatever the reason, the captain's 3-point percentage is at a career-best 47.2 through 26 games.
In
Sunday's steamrolling of the Timberwolves at the Garden, Pierce was a
perfect 6-for-6 from deep. It was the second time in a week he posted
perfect numbers from 3-point range, as he went a more modest 3-for-3
against Memphis on Monday.
"I wanted to be a little more aggressive than I have in the past few games," Pierce said after Sunday's 122-104 win, according to The Patriot Ledger. "I wanted to do it within the concept of what we’re doing as a team."
Part
of that concept meant hitting the shots when they would have the most
impact. Pierce drained consecutive 3-balls in the second quarter,
stretching the lead from 13 to 19. He hit one more before halftime,
helping the C's carry a 25-point lead into the locker room.
"He
was terrific tonight," Garnett said of Pierce, who also contributed
seven rebounds and four assists. "I thought he played in the flow of
the offense. Everything came to him. He had times when he knew when to
attack and gave it up, shared the ball. Beautiful basketball."
By
the end of the night, Pierce's 3-point percentage rose to 47.2 for the
year. The highest mark he's posted in a season was his rookie year,
when he shot 41.2 percent in 48 games. He's currently shooting a full
10 percent better than his career average of 36.9 percent. Despite the prominent 3-point shooting, Pierce is averaging just 18.1
points per game — his lowest mark since his rookie season. Needless to
say, Pierce's efficiency can't be much better.
He even had a chance to set a team record for most consecutive 3-pointers in a game without a miss, but didn't get an opportunity to hit No. 7.
"I had no idea, I didn’t know he shot 6-for-6 until I saw him do an interview," Rajon Rondo, who assisted on three of Pierce's 3-pointers,
told The Boston Globe. "You know, I looked him off on one, too. [On]
the skip pass to Ray, Paul said he was open, too. He made sure he told
me that right after."
The Celtics didn't need Pierce to hit his seventh trey of the evening on Sunday, but if Pierce continues on at his current pace, he very well could get another chance.
