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Pierce doesn’t consider his own feelings about Allen that extreme. But as the Celtics captain admitted this week in anticipation of last night’s game against the Heat, he’s still not ready to put Allen back on his calling list. “One day when it’s all said and done, I’m sure we’ll talk about it off to the side,” Pierce said when asked if he was capable of forgiving Allen for joining the Celtics’ bitterest conference rival. “But not right now.” Boston Herald

Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen 

“It definitely hurt me,” Pierce said. “Say we play the Lakers for the championship, and two years later I go and sign with the Lakers. That’s the equivalent of what he did.” Allen, told of Pierce’s comments last night, quietly nodded. “I miss playing with Paul, and being his teammate,” he said. “There’s a lot of sentimentality from me being there and walking with those guys. That doesn’t change. I wouldn’t take that away from him. I respect him feeling that way. Those feelings are justified. I’m not on his team anymore, I’m not helping them win. Boston Herald

Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen 

Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce took the trip with the Celtics to Miami, but as promised, coach Doc Rivers announced neither would play Friday against the Miami Heat to rest sore ankles. Knowing he may make this decision, Rivers asked reporters after Wednesday's loss to the Brooklyn Nets whether the Heat-Celtics game would be nationally televised. When told the game would be on NBA TV, Rivers shook his head and smiled. Boston Globe

Boston Celtics, Paul Pierce, Injuries, Kevin Garnett 

Chris Forsberg: Celtics announce Pierce & KG out vs. Heat due to sore ankles. They are traveling with the team to MIami today. Twitter @ESPNForsberg

Boston Celtics, Paul Pierce, Injuries, Kevin Garnett 

Marc J Spears: Keep in mind Pierce has one more year left on his deal. Pierce is still a valuable player, still a dynamic player. Keep an eye on a team like the Clippers. Not so much even for Garnett anymore, but for Pierce, because if the Clippers stumble in the first or second round, I think that small forward position is something that they could use. They need maybe that No. 3 scorer or even that No. 2 scorer to kind of get them over the hump and be in the elite. He’s from L.A., so I don’t think Danny Ainge is going to send him to Minnesota. He’s going to send him somewhere that he would be happy with, and I’m sure Paul probably thinks he could get an extension with a team like the Clippers. Yahoo! Sports

Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Clippers, Paul Pierce, Trade 

“We’re playing off each other,” said Green, who scored 34 points to go with Pierce’s 17 in a 98-93 win over a Pistons team that had no matchup answers. “We’re two lethal threats on the perimeter and in the low post, so teams have to make a decision on how they want to play us. Either one of us is going to have a nice matchup.” WEEI.com

Boston Celtics, Paul Pierce, Jeff Green 

Paul Pierce had a very good reason, it turns out, to miss Monday’s game. While the Celtics were in Minnesota, Pierce was home in Boston with his wife, who was about to give birth. And at 8:21 p.m. Tuesday, the couple’s first son, Prince Paul Pierce, entered this world. “In the next 18 years, world, Celtics fans, look out,” Pierce told WEEI late Wednesday night after the Celtics beat the Pistons, 98-93, at TD Garden. Boston Globe

Boston Celtics, Paul Pierce 

Celtics captain Paul Pierce turned his right ankle in the first quarter of Sunday night’s 108-89 loss to the New York Knicks and coach Doc Rivers said Pierce will “probably” sit out Monday night’s game at the Minnesota Timberwolves. Despite turning his ankle early, Pierce scored 24 points on 6-of-16 shooting, grabbed a season-high 15 rebounds, and added 5 assists in 32 minutes at Madison Square Garden. He had his ankle taped shortly after leaving the game for good in the fourth quarter. “It’s just a little score,” Pierce said. “It shouldn’t be no problem.” Rivers said he wasn’t sure what exactly happened to Pierce’s ankle, but that either way, “We’re going to give him a rest. We’re going to sit him games, for sure, very soon.” Boston Globe

Boston Celtics, Paul Pierce, Injuries 

The Grizzlies extended their lead to 17 in the third and 21 in the fourth (98-77) before Rivers nearly imploded. He then pulled Paul Pierce and the rest of the starters and went back to basics. “I was trying to push our guys and I didn’t think we get some (calls),” he said. “(In the fourth quarter) I thought the guys met my intensity. And that’s all I want every night. I want to win every night. I don’t care who’s on the floor, I want our guys to believe every night. That’s basically what I was talking to Avery and Jeff (Green). We don’t go into games thinking we gotta a lot of guys hurt and we can’t win. We go into games thinking we got a lot of guys hurt and somebody else is going to help us win. That’s how we gotta be and everybody has to lead everybody.” Boston Globe

Boston Celtics, Paul Pierce 

Peter Stringer: Pierce: "They're the Miami Heat. They force turnovers and get easy buckets. If they get 25-26 points off our turnovers, that's devastating." Twitter @celtics

Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, Paul Pierce 

The two players expected to lead the Celtics Saturday night in their revenge match are Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, who have been the talk of the town this week after both reached scoring milestones on Wednesday and Garnett explained afterward how close the two were growing up. Why is this story so special? “That’s only because they’re old as hell,” Rivers answered with hearty laugh. “The only way you can reach those milestones together is you have to hang around a lonnnnng time. It is cool. I was joking but it does seem like every night one of those two does pass some kind of record. I think now we create some sort of new record to pass but it is awesome. They have that picture together, it’s a neat picture when they were 15.” WEEI.com

Boston Celtics, Paul Pierce, Doc Rivers, Kevin Garnett 

The NBA released a statement yesterday saying there should have been a foul called on the play. Pierce, when prompted, was having none of that. In fact, he’s thinking the whole situation is being overblown for one reason alone. “I think it got kind of blown out of proportion. [Dhantay Jones] put his hands up, got into the defender. I mean the fact it’s Kobe Bryant, it’s an issue. If it was somebody else, we wouldn’t even be talking about this today.” CelticsHub.com

Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, Paul Pierce, Kobe Bryant 

Peter Stringer: Pierce was asked if he wants Miami's winning streak to continue til Mon. He responds, "I hope they lose every game the rest of the season." Twitter @celtics

Miami Heat, Paul Pierce 

After passing Jerry West for 15th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list and watching Paul Pierce eschew Charles Barkley in 20th, Kevin Garnett offered a rare glimpse inside the personal relationship of the latest Celtics greats. “Paul and I have history, and it’s only right that we come in here and we make history together,” said Garnett. “At 13, 14, we were tearing up his mom’s living room, breaking vases, almost getting our asses whooped. I was with Paul the first time I ever experienced Crenshaw on a Sunday. For y’all who don’t know about Crenshaw on a Sunday, Crenshaw on a Sunday is a big deal. He was taking me out, and we were being 15, 16 years old.” WEEI.com

Boston Celtics, Paul Pierce, Jerry West, Charles Barkley, Kevin Garnett 

“I’m flattered, to be honest,” said Garnett. “When they told me that I passed Wes Unseld on the rebounding, I was at a loss for words. You guys have no idea what I was like as a kid. I didn’t have all the magazines, but for some reason I had all the pictures that were in the magazines. I don’t know how I was able to acquire that, but that’s another story. I just fantasized, mimicked, appreciated — all the things that a young kid does when he’s creating heroes, when he’s creating stories in his head. Anything to generate any type of motivation, and I guess at times to generate a distraction. I used it for inspiration, getting through a hard day. WEEI.com

Boston Celtics, Paul Pierce, Jerry West, Charles Barkley, Kevin Garnett, Wes Unseld 

“So, when you guys are telling me that I’m surpassing these people that I used for these different reasons, it’s another form of feeling, it’s another form of emotion. I know someday I’ll probably sit back and actually think about it, and it will probably mean something, but the one word I just keep thinking about: I’m just flattered, because without those people, those players who have created our history, made our league what it is for young guys or younger guys like myself, to follow in their path, there wouldn’t be no Kevin Garnetts, there wouldn’t be any other yesteryear, so I’m flattered more than honored.” WEEI.com

Boston Celtics, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett 

“I always tell people that I’ve got the greatest seat in the house to watch one of the best players in NBA history put the ball in the basket every night, and it’s special to be able to do it with him.” Let’s just say the feeling is mutual. “Kevin could accomplish anything that he wanted to do, because he has that will, that determination,” said Pierce. “For him to be where he is at, it’s pretty remarkable, because he’s more than just scoring. He’s at the top in so many other categories that it’s just unbelievable. He’s a once-in-a-generation type of player. Not a lot of people get a chance to play with those type of players, and I’m fortunate that I’ve been able to play with him these last five, six years. It’s been an honor to watch him each and every day, how he prepares, how he comes to work every day, his approach is something we can all learn from.” WEEI.com

Boston Celtics, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett 

Me: But you desperately want to retire a Celtic. Paul Pierce: I mean, of course. I've been here my whole life as far as basketball wise, of course. It doesn't really doesn't happen in today's NBA. You really don't see it, although you could see a few guys -- Kobe, Timmy D, Dirk Nowtizki. Those guys, there's probably a 100 percent chance they'll retire with their franchises. But, who knows? I've been in trade rumors the last two years. So you never know what can happen. NBA.com

Boston Celtics, Paul Pierce 

Me: I know you're not better without Rondo. But you seem to still be an effective team without Rondo. Why is that happening? Paul Pierce: I think it has to go with the guys we have in there stepping up. Everybody has pretty much elevated their game. I think that the true character really comes out in a team when their backs are against the wall, and all the negative press and adversity is amongst you. Guys see that. And have something to prove. And I think that comes from growing up and making it to the NBA. People always said you're not going to make it, you're not going to be a very good player. So I think NBA players have always dealt with some kind of adversity, and this is just another one of those type of adversities, when you lose your best player, you lose another asset in Jared Sullinger, people really doubted you. And that's the time when you come together. Everybody elevates their game just to prove people wrong. That's something a lot of these guys have been doing their whole lives. NBA.com

Boston Celtics, Paul Pierce 

The need to declare that the Celtics were Rondo's team was a curious phenomenon from the start. It was hard to imagine that future Hall of Famers Pierce and Garnett ever completely bought into that, although they were happy to play along for public consumption. "I don't know if they did or not," said Rivers, "but all I know is those two guys are talking more. When Rondo comes back, Paul and Kevin need to continue to lead the way they are now. Because, honestly, I don't buy into the 'Whose team is it?' I think that's the silliest damn stuff. I don't care whose team it is. Just go play together." ESPN.com

Boston Celtics, Paul Pierce, Doc Rivers, Rajon Rondo, Kevin Garnett