BOSTONPaul Pierce takes pride in being able to give the Boston Celtics whatever they need.
That mentality takes on even greater significance now that Rajon Rondo is out for the season with a torn right ACL injury.
Rondo's injury means the Celtics will look to Pierce to play more of a point-forward role which is essentially what he did in Boston's 100-98 double overtime win against Miami on Sunday.
Pierce finished with 17 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists which was his first triple-double of the season.
"Responsibilities definitely go up when you have Rondo out the game," Pierce said. "More of a facilitator. Have to do a little bit of everything for this ball club. That's about it."
It is a role that Pierce has taken on at times in the past, one that might be easier for him to excel at based on the Celtics' personnel.
The need for Pierce to handle the ball more is necessary because the C's perimeter players are primarily scorers more than they are ball-handlers.
Boston Celtics
Pierce might benefit from handling the ball more, as it would likely take some of the pressure off him to score more points.
The Captain has been in a bit of a shooting funk lately, connecting on six of his 16 shots from the field against the Heat. In the five previous games leading up to Sunday's match with Miami, Pierce was shooting 32.9 percent (23-for-70) from the field.
"You know my shot, it's going to fall," Pierce said. "It's not something that I'm worried about."
For now, Pierce is focused on doing whatever he can to help the Celtics build off of what has to be their biggest win of the season. And with Rondo out, that's going to require him to do more - a lot more - than he has thus far this season.
"I still have a lot of intangibles," Pierce said. "The know-how; I know how to play this game."