Posted by Sabrina B. @gametimegirl
While the Boston Celtics said all of the right things in front of the cameras and microphones after Thursday’s 112-107 triumph in Miami, a great sense of satisfaction permeated the locker room after the Celtics beat the Miami Heat for the second time in a little more than two weeks.
It’s why forward Glen Davis could be heard bellowing about “spanking” the Heat as the doors to the visitors’ locker room swung open following the game.
It’s why a 140-character trash talk session toward LeBron James & Co., showed up on Paul Pierce’s Twitter account.
“It’s been a pleasure to bring my talents to south beach now on to Memphis,” a tweet said.
Given his dissatisfaction with anything that has mocked his television show “The Decision,” it’s likely that the tweets on Pierce’s account won’t go over well with James, who famously announced he was “taking my talents to South Beach” when he revealed he was signing with the Heat.
But before the tweet showed up, Pierce admitted these two early season wins will have little effect moving forward.
“We’re going to be a different team in January; they’re going to be a different team in January or February,” Pierce said. “We have a two-game advantage. You never know when it might come down to the record. At the end of the year, if we have similar records, these two games are going to mean a lot then. It’s good now, but both teams have a long way to go. We’re still trying to get healthy, with Jermaine [O’Neal out indefinitely], Delonte [West] coming back [from suspension], and [Kendrick Perkins recovering from ACL surgery]. It’s good to get these wins right now.
“A win now, over Miami, if it’s going to mean anything come April … it’s knowing that, if we were in this situation, you can come down here and get a win.”
Celtics guard Nate Robinson — a Twitter power user himself — admitted the players in the Celtics’ locker room take great satisfaction out of victories, particularly in matchups against teams like Miami. But at the end of the day, Robinson said Boston is simply focused on building toward becoming a better team and positioning itself for postseason success.
“That’s what impresses me about playing for this Celtics team, no guy plays for the credit,” said Robinson. “The whole team plays together to win. We do have fun and guys celebrate after the game. … We just have to keep playing Celtics basketball and worrying about ourselves.”
For his part, James’ postgame comments focused on getting the Heat to play as a team.
“I think it’s a reality now,” said James, who scored a team-high 35 points. “Right now, we are talented enough to play against these teams, but the chemistry right now isn’t up to the level of some of the better teams. That’s why it’s kind of difficult for us to stay on point throughout the whole game.”
Pierce drew headlines last season when a tweet from his account appeared online shortly after Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals, suggesting fans should prepare for a Boston sweep against the Orlando Magic (the tweet read, “Anybody got a broom?”).
Pierce later said his account was hacked and he did not post the messages.
Chris Forsberg
