Those who have never heard their knee pop should never criticize those who have.
I was stunned to hear the gibberish that was spawned over the weekend about Boston Celtic forward Paul Pierce and his knee injury in last Thursday's NBA Final opener.
Pierce was injured in a collision with his own player early in the third quarter. He went down in a heap, grabbed his knee and was in obvious pain. He was carried off the court and put in a wheelchair in the back halls of the FleetCenter.
I've seen plenty of knee injuries in my lifetime - have even had a couple myself. I thought for sure, Pierce was done for the series. When Celtic center Kendrick Perkins rolled his ankle moments later, I was just about ready to hit the remote and find something else to watch.
Then just 1:45 of elapsed gametime later, Pierce came bouncing out of the tunnel, looking like a prize fighter ready to rumble. He returned to the game and hit back-to-back 3's in the quarter and help the Celtics open the lead.
It had people making Willis Read references. I don't know about that comparison. When Reed returned after a serious injury and spark his New York Knicks it was well before my time. I likened Pierce to the playoff series years ago when Larry Bird shook off an injury in a collision and returned to the game to lead Boston to victory. It may not have been a warrior effort like Reed's, but both Bird and Pierce provided a pretty good sports moment and gave their teams a significant lift, especially if you're a Celtic fan.
Then all the Laker beat writers and fans began to cry. They said Pierce was faking. He was acting. He was milking the situation for drama. Maybe the LA people should take off their designer sunglasses and actually see what is going on.
Of course, these are the same people that cheer on their beloved Kobe Bryant, a rapist, an adulterer, a liar and a whiny self-absorbed egomaniac. How about his pathetic press conference with his wife following his "rendezvous" in a Colorado hotel. Now that was worthy of an Oscar - and jail time.
I was stunned to hear the gibberish that was spawned over the weekend about Boston Celtic forward Paul Pierce and his knee injury in last Thursday's NBA Final opener.
Pierce was injured in a collision with his own player early in the third quarter. He went down in a heap, grabbed his knee and was in obvious pain. He was carried off the court and put in a wheelchair in the back halls of the FleetCenter.
I've seen plenty of knee injuries in my lifetime - have even had a couple myself. I thought for sure, Pierce was done for the series. When Celtic center Kendrick Perkins rolled his ankle moments later, I was just about ready to hit the remote and find something else to watch.
Then just 1:45 of elapsed gametime later, Pierce came bouncing out of the tunnel, looking like a prize fighter ready to rumble. He returned to the game and hit back-to-back 3's in the quarter and help the Celtics open the lead.
It had people making Willis Read references. I don't know about that comparison. When Reed returned after a serious injury and spark his New York Knicks it was well before my time. I likened Pierce to the playoff series years ago when Larry Bird shook off an injury in a collision and returned to the game to lead Boston to victory. It may not have been a warrior effort like Reed's, but both Bird and Pierce provided a pretty good sports moment and gave their teams a significant lift, especially if you're a Celtic fan.
Then all the Laker beat writers and fans began to cry. They said Pierce was faking. He was acting. He was milking the situation for drama. Maybe the LA people should take off their designer sunglasses and actually see what is going on.
Of course, these are the same people that cheer on their beloved Kobe Bryant, a rapist, an adulterer, a liar and a whiny self-absorbed egomaniac. How about his pathetic press conference with his wife following his "rendezvous" in a Colorado hotel. Now that was worthy of an Oscar - and jail time.
Even if Pierce, for some odd reason, had choreographed the entire thing, that certainly doesn't speak well of the weak-minded Lakers that folded their tents following his return.
Certainly Pierce may have overreacted a bit. His knee wasn't as severely hurt as he initially thought. Last I knew, that's not a crime. He had waited his entire career to reach this plateau and play for a title. Now he hears his knee pop and feels the pain in his knee. Anyone in that situation would be scared and thinking the worst.
When I hurt my knees, I never heard them pop. When I dislocated my left knee playing basketball, the fact that my knee cap was a bit left of center was an obvious sign of a serious injury. Well, that and the fact that it hurt like hell. When I ruptured my patella tendon in my right knee (that's the tissue that connects your knee cap to your lower leg), my knee cap, free from its lower attachment to my lower leg, had risen up toward my thigh. Again, it was obvious that something was wrong.
In Pierce's case, he may not have had those signs, but when your knee suffers a blow like that the last thing you're going to be thinking about is jumping right back up on it. Once the trainers came to his attention, they looked it over and determined he should be carried off and put in a wheelchair. It wasn't until the original trauma had subsided, and he had the opportunity to examine his range of motion and weight baring that it was determined he wasn't as injured as first thought.
How many other pro athletes have you seen carried off or stagger off with an injury only to see return a bit later? It happens all the time. Pierce's case was just a bit more dramatic, especially in the atmosphere of the NBA Championship.
That still doesn't give people the right to criticize his reaction. I can see Laker fans saying something idiotic like that. That's what fans do. They check their common sense at the door when they follow the masses of fanaticism. Intelligence is overwhelmed by a mouth and heart consumed by blind allegiance. LA beat writers should know better and show professionalism.
Reporters are taught to write what they know. When they get into trouble is when they attempt to analyze things they know nothing about. Unless you've felt your knee pop or come apart and know what that pain is like and what fear that creates, you have no right to criticize those that have suffered through that kind of experience, regardless of the severity of the injury.
Certainly Pierce may have overreacted a bit. His knee wasn't as severely hurt as he initially thought. Last I knew, that's not a crime. He had waited his entire career to reach this plateau and play for a title. Now he hears his knee pop and feels the pain in his knee. Anyone in that situation would be scared and thinking the worst.
When I hurt my knees, I never heard them pop. When I dislocated my left knee playing basketball, the fact that my knee cap was a bit left of center was an obvious sign of a serious injury. Well, that and the fact that it hurt like hell. When I ruptured my patella tendon in my right knee (that's the tissue that connects your knee cap to your lower leg), my knee cap, free from its lower attachment to my lower leg, had risen up toward my thigh. Again, it was obvious that something was wrong.
In Pierce's case, he may not have had those signs, but when your knee suffers a blow like that the last thing you're going to be thinking about is jumping right back up on it. Once the trainers came to his attention, they looked it over and determined he should be carried off and put in a wheelchair. It wasn't until the original trauma had subsided, and he had the opportunity to examine his range of motion and weight baring that it was determined he wasn't as injured as first thought.
How many other pro athletes have you seen carried off or stagger off with an injury only to see return a bit later? It happens all the time. Pierce's case was just a bit more dramatic, especially in the atmosphere of the NBA Championship.
That still doesn't give people the right to criticize his reaction. I can see Laker fans saying something idiotic like that. That's what fans do. They check their common sense at the door when they follow the masses of fanaticism. Intelligence is overwhelmed by a mouth and heart consumed by blind allegiance. LA beat writers should know better and show professionalism.
Reporters are taught to write what they know. When they get into trouble is when they attempt to analyze things they know nothing about. Unless you've felt your knee pop or come apart and know what that pain is like and what fear that creates, you have no right to criticize those that have suffered through that kind of experience, regardless of the severity of the injury.
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