Pierce: “I figure I’ll play another 3 to 4 years”

Posted by Zach Lowe on Apr 13, 2009 13460 commentshttp%3A%2F%2Fcelticshub.com%2F2009%2F04%2F13%2Fi-figure-ill-play-another-3-4-years-paul-pierce%2FPierce%3A+%22I+figure+I%27ll+play+another+3+to+4+years%222009-04-13+12%3A37%3A21Zach+Lowehttp%3A%2F%2Fcelticshub.com%2F%3Fp%3D1346

Doc and the Big Three did this long q-and-a with Jackie MacMullan for ESPN, which the Globe has helpfully transcribed. Once you get past the Fave Five stuff (which is sort of interesting, if you get riled up over Ray Allen not including any Celtics among his “Fave Five” shooters), there are some interesting nuggets:

• Doc’s statement about KG’s knee isn’t the most encouraging thing I’ve ever read: It got pretty bad in the games that we played so that was the alarm that went off.

• Paul Pierce expects to play three or four more seasons before calling it quits: Well my window for playing isn’t that wide open so, I figure I’ll play another 3-4 years, hopefully Kevin plays, and Ray plays another 3-4 years because if they leave before then, I think I’m going to retire (laughs).

• None of them liked the Celtics growing up, but Ray believes in the gospel of the Legend’s Jumpshot: I think at some point…he’s one of those players that regardless of the uniform that he had on just watching him shoot…everyone wanted to shoot like him…it seemed like he made shot after shot.

• KG with some really interesting remarks on the how the intensity of the Hawks crowd caught Boston by surprise in the first round: I wasn’t expecting Atlanta crowd to be like that last year, we came in like Phillips Arena is packed they sold out you know…I wouldn’t have expected that.

• The Celtics are obviously aware they have a turnover problem. Ray talked at length about being a perimeter target for Rondo so that Rajon doesn’t try and force anything: That’s the thing we’ve been talking about is us taking better care of the ball, and being more efficient on offense so, I just want (Rondo) to be better, and, (I’m) letting him know that I always got his back, and, I’ll always be an outlet for him so he doesn’t have to do anything that puts pressure on him, us and our offense.

• KG has converted Pierce into a hyperbaric chamber devotee, but Ray isn’t sold yet.