Paul Pierce

When I played in high school and "college" no one ever doubted my effort. I played with "heart"; which is a polite way of saying I didn't possess a lot of skill or much basketball intelligence. But I dove on the floor and hustled.

At times I would get legitimately twisted up and/or knocked down ... and being tired from all that hustle; I didn't "fake" an injury, but would certainly take an extended break to regain my teams and my own energy ... Plus, I did feel as though I was tough (inspirational, even) because I came back into the game with a taped thumb, sprained ankle or strained something ...

Last night in game 1 of the NBA Finals, Boston Celtics F/C, Kendrick Perkins, fell into teammate and team captain Paul Pierce's knee. For extra measure Perkins popped him in the back of the head with his elbow.

Pierce went down, had to be carried off the floor by teammates and then was rolled into the locker room in a wheelchair.

Pierce stated he heard something "pop," believing his play in the 2008 NBA Finals was finished.

Less than one (1!) minute later, he learned it was only a sprain. One-minute and four seconds later Paul Pierce came jogging out of the tunnel and to the Celtics bench.

"Doc" put him in the game and Pierce hit back-to-back three's.

It is ridiculous for anyone to put this event in the same sentence with Willis Reed's heroics. But, for an athlete to hear the proverbial "pop" in a knee, it is devastating to the psyche.

But I laughed when DJ from Colorado texted me, "Come on! A wheelchair! Really? Come on!"

I just hope Pierce really is good to go for the rest of the NBA Finals.