This weekly series from Clippers.com features a Q&A with Clippers players, coaches, alumni or those tied somehow to the Clippers’ organization. The next edition features forward Paul Pierce.
PLAYA VISTA, Calif. – Paul Pierce scored 11 points Monday, marking the second time in his last three games he’s scored in double digits and the third time in his last four games he’s hit two 3-pointers.
Pierce talked Tuesday about the playoff push, not taking the foot off the gas against lesser competitors, DeAndre Jordan’s recent display on offense and the addition of former Boston teammate Jeff Green.
Have you ever seen DeAndre Jordan duck in the way he did Monday?
PP: “Yeah, I mean, he does it in practice quite a bit. I think with the film session we watched that morning, Doc (Rivers) really emphasized that. He saw opportunities, especially with the way that Golden State was switching the little guys on him. He was like, ‘These are areas where you can duck in and take advantage of that.’ As he did in the game, we used that to our advantage, and that’s something we’re going to have to do, especially going down the line when teams switch and have smaller guys on him.”
He’s left-handed, but it seemed like he did everything well with his right.
PP: “Is he lefty? I can’t tell. I can’t tell what hand he’s using half the time. It looks like he shoots with his left the same as his right. Most of his shots around the rim, if he’s not dunking, they’re with his right hand.”
You played with Jeff Green in Boston. What do you think he will bring?
PP: “He definitely adds more versatility, offensive and defensively. He can stretch the floor with his three ball. He’s unbelievable in transition, and he’s a guy you can put on the block and iso at the wing. Definitely adds another dimension to our small ball, a guy we can use in any lineup.”
How do you guys stay up when you’re going against worse competition?
PP: “Right now, I think it’s more about playoff seeding. I know there’s only 25 games left, so all the motivation is there no matter who we’re playing. We’re trying to position ourselves to get home court in the first round, possibly push up to the three seed. I think the motivation is there regardless of who we play. The opponent doesn’t really matter.”
Do you guys talk about the three seed?
PP: “I think guys keep up with it. We haven’t talked about it really, but guys say, ‘We’re three, four games behind Oklahoma City, we can make up a game, this is a good stretch for us, we can make up some ground.’ At the end of the day, it’s pretty much pick your poison with San Antonio or Golden State anyway. We know no road to the Finals is going to be easy. It’s a toss-up.”
