Paul Pierce has been known to be a clutch player and normally he delivers. But during game 6 of the Atlanta Hawks vs. Washington Wizards, his last shot may have been the last one of his colourful career.
Spending a brunt of his playing days over at Boston, Pierce found himself traded to the Brooklyn Nets with Kevin Garnett and Jason Terry in 2013. Prior to the season, Pierce found himself moving once more to the Washington Wizards in what seemed to be the signs to an end.
Rather than see Pierce riding the bench, the 10th overall draft pick of the Boston Celtics in 1998 proved he still had the springs to play. And that included taking the big shots which he displayed once again during game 3, allowing the Wizards to ambush the top seeded Hawks and take a 2-1 advantage.
Come game 6 however and with the Hawks' season on the line, Pierce found himself in a familiar situation. Pierce had the knack of sinking the shots that mattered the most but this time his shot came a tad late
And the end result saw the Hawks advancing and Pierce apparently drained from the effort, leading him to ponder retirement.
At 37, Pierce still has a $6 million option to stay with the Wizards. But if asked now, it seems that Pierce is seriously considering retirement. Most of this is of course driven by the fact of his failure to lift his team to at least one more game, understandably a setback and something that is hard to accept.
Though he is considering it, Pierce could play one more season once he gets over the enigma of that stinging loss. Emotionally, Pierce and the Wizards are hurting but all that should settle down and hence result in a more sensible decision for the man known as the Truth.
The only thing certain right now is that Pierce holds his destiny. He can opt to retire or opt to play one final season. The answer to that may come in the offseason when the current NBA season (as well as the loss) is no longer in the air.
