Maybe it's too early to be talking about a league MVP, but there is no doubt that Boston's last three wins should be mentioned when the voting starts later this season.
The MVP award is about more than total statistics, and Paul Pierce has simply not allowed his team to lose close games. Celtics Head Coach Doc Rivers is much more proud of his team's ability to come back in recent games than he is worried about the Celtics falling behind. "The deficits are what they are. The fact that we've won three of [their last four games] is more important to me. It's how you finish a game, and we finish games... very well." Pierce is the main reason he can say that.
Look at his performance in the Celtics' last three wins. Against Toronto, Pierce scored 22 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter and the Celtics totaled 35 in the final period to come back and beat the Raptors. Against Atlanta, Pierce scored 34 and hit the game-winning jumper to hand the Hawks their first loss.
And then there was his performance last night in Milwaukee. In the second game of a back to back set, Pierce played 41 minutes, and was able to put the Celtics on his back for the final 1:28 of overtime after Kevin Garnett fouled out. He was everything a coach would want - he hit free throws and made passes to the open man on countless clutch possessions in the end of regulation and overtime just to keep his team in the game, and then took over when the tired Celtics needed a score on a possession.
To his teammates, knowing they have such a big advantage in close games matters. Rajon Rondo, for example, told HOOPSWORLD that his philosophy is that close games "come down to great players making plays, like Paul Pierce and Ray Allen."
As for Pierce garnering more MVP attention, Rondo didn't shy away from the issue. "Hopefully he wins it. It's early, but he's putting up great numbers. This team is winning, so I don't see why not."
Boston will continue to win, and in terms of how Pierce has effected the Celtics season so far, perhaps Rondo said it best. "We're never out of games."
