Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald reports that Paul Pierce isn?t happy. He?s been on the receiving end of some hard fouls recently and he thinks the NBA need to do more to protect the players.

He received a scratched cornea courtesy of Cleveland?s Zydrunas Ilgauskas and had to have reconstructive dental surgery after a run in with Suns? rookie Amare Stoudamire in the last two weeks.

``The refs really do need to crack down on it,'' said Pierce. ``Sometimes I feel that teams aren't looking to make a play on the ball but are just trying to make a play on me.''

Pierce?s coach, Jim O?Brien agrees. ``I don't think the guys in this league purposely try to hurt people, but there's a frame of mind that says not to let the ball get to the rim,'' O'Brien said. ``It's important for the NBA to call those situations, not only against Paul but on the part of anyone who drives to the rim. We don't like people driving to the rim, either, but there are limits,'' he said. ``Attempting to block the shot is one thing, but if you attempt to block the guy, well, that's quite another matter.''

Pierce added that if the rough stuff continues, he wouldn't be adverse to calling someone like Stu Jackson, the NBA's discipline czar. ``If I feel it's getting out of hand, I will,'' he said.