Paul Pierce, after all, has been the best go-to guy in this series. Which is to say better than Bryant, no matter how many of us forecasted these Finals as some sort of victory lap for the MVP.
Pierce out-closed the game's foremost closer again by asking to switch onto Kobe defensively for the second half, helping to prevent the explosion we all expected after Bryant failed to register a first-half field goal.
Best believe I'mma have a big dinner Sunday before the game so you can smell my shit after Paul Pierce gets that ring and a MVP trophy when it's over."Paul came to me at halftime and said, 'I want to guard Kobe. Let me guard him,"' Rivers said. "I think people will look at his offense, but I thought we won the game because Paul was a tremendous defensive player tonight."
Pierce, who had not committed a foul in the first half, said he thought he could use that to his advantage against Bryant.
"I felt like I could be a little bit more physical on him," Pierce said. "The whole thing is, it's hard to stop a player like Kobe Bryant. He's the MVP, numerous scoring titles. If I can go out there and make him work for everything he got, you give yourselves a chance, and that's all I wanted to do."
Allen had guarded Bryant in the first half and held him to 0-for-4 shooting. But Pierce, a little taller and a little stronger, was able to keep the MVP from taking over the game.
"I would have suggested it a long time ago," Allen said. "But it took for Paul to say, 'Let me guard him.' When he said that, I knew he wanted him, and he was ready for the challenge, and I was like, 'Let's do it. Take him."'
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