Human Victory Cigar

Forward Paul Pierce answers questions on Practice Day, Tuesday May 27 2008, after the Boston Celtics’ win against the Detroit Pistons in Game 3 of the 2008 Eastern Conference Finals.

Paul Pierce: We’re the type of team, like I said all year, we don’t get too up on wins, we don’t get too down on losses. We’ve got a loose group. We came out here, watched some film, went over some plays, went over some things. That’s what the playoffs is all about. Each game is an adjustment, and our guys have to just remain positive and stay together. We came out here and made some adjustments, and that’s how it’s going to be. We’re going to stay loose, and we understand that we’ve got to go tomorrow.

Q. Did McDyess surprise you last night?

Paul Pierce: We know what McDyess is capable of. He’s capable of knocking down those shots. He got into a rhythm. McDyess, we don’t want him in that type of rhythm. He’s an All-Star, he’s been an All-Star in this league, and he’s more than capable, and he showed that last night. If we can take him away from some of those shots and put some on the ground and get offensive rebounds, we’ll give ourselves a better chance of controlling him. But I think he’s been a key for them in this series. When he plays well, they play well.

Q. (Inaudible).

Paul Pierce: They picked it up, but we’ve got to go to another level. That’s what this series is all about, it’s a defensive bout. The team that plays defense is the team that’s going to win, so we’ve got to pick up our energy level. I told the guys, we’ve got a great opportunity, man. We don’t get this opportunity too many times in our career. You’ve got to go out there and play like it’s our last because you never know when it’s going to happen again.