Truth Tops Former Team

Paul Pierce used to get butterflies any time he took the court against the team he carried for a decade and a half, but those times have officially ended.

The Boston Celtics really shipped point guard Rajon Rondo to the Dallas Mavericks, effectively sending off the last member of the 2008 championship team that featured The Truth.

“They moved on,” Paul said of his former Boston Celtics team. “They’re in a rebuild phase, they have a lot of young guys, a lot of young talent that they’re looking toward to build for the future. That’s what it is, especially now that Rondo is gone, the last of the championship team, so it’s a new era now.”

The legendary small forward, who played his first 15 seasons in Boston and led the Celtics to an NBA Championship, had no problem leading his new team to a convincing 101-88 win in Washington on Saturday night. The Truth put up 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting (including 3-of-5 from downtown) and added three rebounds, two assists and two steals in just 19 minutes of action.

It was yet another impressive performance for No. 34 against his former team, and Paul has become accustomed to putting up big numbers against the Celtics after so many years of doing it for them. Just this year, Paul popped his former team for 28 points and seven rebounds in a 133-132 win.

On Saturday night, The Truth took over early for his new team and never let his former squad get in the game. Just 21 seconds into the contest, Paul knocked down a midrange jumper, giving the Wizards a lead they held for the duration of the game.

But No. 34 wasn’t content putting up just the first basket; the future Hall of Famer looked like he wanted to make a statement, and he came out firing. He scored eight of the Wizards’ first nine points — in a span of just two-and-a-half minutes — then assisted on a Bradley Beal breakaway layup for Washington’s next hoop. Next, he stole a Marcus Smart pass that eventually led to a Marcin Gortat basket. A few seconds later, Washington scored again, and just like that, Paul and the Wizards were up 15-2.

The rest of the quarter wasn’t much better for the Celtics, who were held to just 12 points in the first 12 minutes. Paul had 11 points by himself in the period, on 4-of-4 shooting no less, plus two assists and a steal in a little more than nine minutes of playing time. By the time No. 34 went to the bench with 2:38 remaining in the first period, Washington was already up 28-11.

Thanks largely to his jumpstarting of the Wizards, both offensively and defensively, The Truth wasn’t needed for much more of the game. He played just two minutes in the second period, when he came in and knocked down a three to help the Wiz to a 56-39 lead at the break.

The Truth started the second half, added another three points and came out with 4:35 left in the third period for good. D.C. took that 17-point lead into the fourth quarter, and he and the rest of the Washington starters sat for the entire final frame and watched the bench carry on just fine against the new-look Celtics.

Paul said the team didn’t just want to win against Boston; rather, the Wizards wanted an easy win in which they could rest the starters for an extended time. For the second game in a row, Washington got an easy win.

“Well it’s great, especially with a long road trip coming up. This is the type of win we said we needed, last home game of the 2014 calendar year,” No. 34 told reporters Saturday night. “A tough, tough trip coming up so it was great our bench did a really good job sustaining the lead and not letting them back in the game the way as we did the last time we played Boston here.”

The “tough, tough trip” Paul referred to is a grueling five-game road trip against Western Conference heavyweights in an eight-day span. While it will surely be exhausting especially for the Wizards’ seasoned veterans such as Paul, Andre Miller and Rasual Butler, Washington is looking forward to the opportunity to prove itself against the teams generally considered to be title contenders.

“It is a test,” Paul said of the upcoming grind. “We get a chance to play some of the upper echelon Western Conference teams and it’ll be a great measuring stick of where we are. We know we’re one of the upper echelon teams in the East, but if we want to be champions, if we want to say this is an opportunity with the East being wide open for us to get to the Finals. It gives us an opportunity to gauge where we are as an elite team in this league.”

When asked by a reporter after that comment if he considers the Wizards an elite team, there was no hesitation by The Truth.

“Without question.”

NEXT UP

The Wizards will seek to prove they can hang with big boys as they begin a five-game road trip against exclusively Western Conference teams, starting with Monday night’s matchup against the 21-8 Houston Rockets. The five teams Washington will play on the road trip combine for a record of 92-63 heading into Monday’s games, and three of them would make the playoffs in the West if the season ended today.

It will mark the first time this season that Washington will play Houston, who boast a bevy of All Stars. Paul will be matched up with Trevor Ariza, the former Wizards small forward who The Truth replaced in D.C. Ariza is known for his perimeter defense and three-point shooting, so Paul will have his hands full Monday night in Houston.

After the Rockets game, Washington will travel to Dallas for a Tuesday night game against the Mavericks, followed by trips to Oklahoma City, San Antonio and New Orleans before finally returning home the following Wednesday.

Monday’s game is scheduled for an 8 p.m. ET tipoff and will be broadcast locally on Comcast Sports Net.

RELATED LINKS

• Wizards easily handle new-look Celtics (ESPN, December 28, 2014)
• Paul Pierce postgame interview (Monumental Network, December 28, 2014)
• Pierce “shocked” by Rondo trade (Pro Basketball Talk, December 28, 2014)
• Pierce has no issues beating former team (The Washington Post, December 27, 2014)