Philadelphia 76ers eager to stop Paul Pierce from getting on the foul line as the series decider looms – NBA News
The Boston Celtics hopes of reaching the Eastern Conference Finals will rest on the shoulders of Paul Pierce as they host the Philadelphia 76ers for game 7 of their Semi Final series at the TD Garden.
Pierce is a veteran to playoff s basketball, with 122 postseason games under his belt and has been the NBA Finals MVP once. The Celtics Captain has been struggling for fitness in the playoffs, with a sprained MCL that he suffered
in the first round against the Atlanta Hawks. That has slowed down his quickness and is making it difficult for him to drive to the basket with aggression.
But Pierce, like always, has found a way to tackle the issue. The 10 time All Star has been relying on free throws to keep himself in the game.
In the game 6 victory for the Sixers, Pierce had just five field goals for his 24 points. He scored 13 of 13 from the foul line. In the game 3 victory for the Celtics, Pierce again had only 6 field goals but finished with 24 points
after scoring 11 points from the foul line.
"He is the kind of guy who can hit five field goals and end with 24 points” said Sixers coach Doug Collins after practice on Friday.
Pierce has not been in the best of forms from the field, averaging 39.7% for the series. However, he is 47 of 50 from the foul line in the six games so far in this series.
"We would like to be able to limit his efficiency a little bit and he is doing a good job of getting to the foul line and he's a great free throw shooter," added Collins.
Andre Iguodala has had his work cut out for him guarding Pierce in this series. But he has also been a consistent performer for the Sixers. In the series against the Celtics, Iguodala is averaging 13 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4 assists
and 1.33 steals. He is also 11 of 21 from beyond the arc and has been guarding Pierce, the most important offensive weapon of the Celtics roster.
“You have to make Paul work hard all the time and Dre does that. What he does for our team is one of those things a coach watches on tape and sometimes the stat sheet won't show the impact on the game” said Collins referring to
Iguodala.
Iguodala is going into the first playoff game 7 of his career and looking forward to the level of excitement, intensity and pressure. It will be a tough game for him, as he will once again be guarding Pierce.
Pierce will be looking to continue his good run with a big performance that can push his team into the next round. Iguodala will want to spoil the party for Pierce and company.
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