For the third straight game, Paul Pierce had an opportunity to tie or win the game for the Wizards in regulation. The ambitious Pierce hit a buzzer beater in Game 3 and missed a wide open three-pointer at the end of Game 4. Dennis Schröder claimed Pierce’s banked-in buzzer beater was luck, but Pierce in the most Pierce-like fashion claimed he called “game.”
In the waning moments of Game 5, Randy Wittman called a beautiful hammer set that created another wide open three for Pierce with the Wiz down by two. Pierce nailed it, then turned to the Hawks bench to spout a few words of wisdom.
After Paul Pierce hit go-ahead 3-pointer, he looked at Hawks bench and said "Series."
— Chris Vivlamore (@CVivlamoreAJC) May 14, 2015
Al Horford would have something to say about that. Horford soared in for an offensive rebound and game-winning putback to give the Hawks a 3-2 series edge. Pierce could still have the last laugh if the Wizard can pull off the next two games, the latter of which will be back in Atlanta’s Philips Arena, but it’ll be a lot more difficult thanks to Horford’s heroics.
Paul Pierce is a villain to most, and a hero to the rest. No one wants the big shot more than The Truth. His penchant for late-game theatrics has lifted the spirits of these injury-plagued NBA Playoffs.
