Paul Pierce made his way to the podium, dragging his stiff right leg, and finally reached his seat, slumping into the chair. On the court and off, Pierce looked battered and exhausted. And this was the player the Boston Celtics were counting on to save them.

With his team trailing the Nets by three games to none to in the four-of-seven-game Eastern Conference semifinals, Pierce provided a last bit of bravado, but even he seemed unsure if he could back up his words.

"They're up, 3-0," Pierce said quietly. "We can look at it one of two ways. We can look at it and say, `Hey, lay down,' or, we're going to do something about it. We're going to fight to try to get back in this series. The series isn't over until you win four games.