Though he's only in his third NBA season, Rajon Rondo has learned to catalogue his teammates.
Even on the Cadillac of a team he now runs, the point guard understands many are willing to take the last shot, but only a few are worthy.
And none, as recent history has shown, are more worthy than Paul Pierce in the last four minutes of a game. Ray Allen certainly comes close, especially from deep. But the Celtics captain has a truly rare ability - not just a desire - once the clock becomes a factor.
``Gimme the ball,'' Rondo said in an attempt to describe Pierce's late-game aura. ``He just has it. Everyone wants the ball, but not everyone can get it and do what they want with it. He just plays that way. As long as I've known him, he's always been calm in those situations.''
Witness Pierce's ability to turn his deadly switch on Saturday night in Charlotte, N.C. He had averaged just 11.3 points in the previous five games, cracking 20 points only once (21 points on Nov. 26 against Golden State), and after three quarters had 11 against the Bobcats.
But this was a recent rarity for the C's - a close game. The switch thrown on, Pierce calmly demanded the ball and scored eight points in the last four minutes. First, the C's captain victimized Jason Richardson with a pair of soft jumpers in the lane, then he drove and posted up to make three trips to the free throw line.
Pierce didn't cause as much as will those calls, and the referees complied. Back in the old days, when Pierce was the Celts' only hope, the result was often a forced shot or a flagrant flop in an attempt to get the call. But Pierce is now riding in luxury. His minutes are down, and he claims to feel the most rested of his entire career.
As of yesterday he was 25th in the league with an average of 36.4 minutes per game. That's a far cry from the time when Pierce and then-Celtic Antoine Walker routinely inhabited two of the top five positions in the league in terms of minutes played. ``It's definitely a luxury,'' Pierce said not only of the reduction in the minutes load, but also in the scoring load.
Pierce, who has averaged an even 13 points in the last six games, never would have been allowed to hit such a low scoring ebb and still have the team survive two years ago, let alone win by the big margins that have driven the team's 16-2 record of late.
``When I get the chance to sit in all of these fourth quarters, it's definitely luxurious,'' he said. ``My whole deal is better. This is definitely the most rested I have felt since I've been in the league. (Coach Doc Rivers) has done a great job with our minutes. ``It's a marathon, not a sprint.''
That said, the demand for Pierce's late-game ability isn't going to diminish as long as this team remains a contender. ``He's Paul Pierce,'' Rivers said. ``The great players can miss 15 straight shots and think the odds are about to change in their favor. An average player will miss 15 straight shots and lose confidence.
``Paul's just been in these games so much. You know he'll get the shot off. Nothing is going to stop him. All of our guys are that way, sometimes to a fault. But when all three of our (stars) are hot, nothing is going to get in the way. I'll take that.''
So will Pierce, even when he doesn't end up with the ball. ``I never think about my shots,'' said Pierce, who wouldn't have been caught saying that two years ago. ``That's the beauty of our team. I'm not concerned. We've won eight games in a row. Why try to change it? I know what I'm capable of.'' -
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