Paul Pierce contemplating retirement

By Staff     May 16, 2015

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Washington Wizards forward Paul Pierce (34) waves to the crowd as he leaves the court after Game 6 of the second round of the NBA basketball playoffs Atlanta Hawks, Friday, May 15, 2015, in Washington. The Hawks won 94-91. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

[The NBA’s new Mr. Clutch, Paul Pierce][1], caught the basketball with time vanishing in the final seconds of Washington’s second-round elimination game Friday night and drained a contested, fade-away 3-pointer from the left corner.

The Verizon Center crowd exploded, and Pierce’s Wizards teammates congratulated him on sending Game 6 against Atlanta to overtime.

However, upon further review, the ball left the veteran’s fingertips a split-second too late. “The Truth” had not saved the day this time, and the Hawks advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals.

The stunned 17-year veteran from Kansas left the court afflicted with the feeling he let his team down, and, [as he told The Washington Post’s Adam Kilgore][2], wondering about his future.

> “Truthfully, what was going through my
> mind is, I don’t have too much of
> these efforts left, if any,” Pierce
> said. “These rides throughout the NBA
> season, throughout the playoffs, are
> very emotional. They take a lot out of
> not only your body, but your mind,
> your spirit.”

Pierce averaged 14.6 points and drained 52.4% of his 3-pointers in the playoffs, but finished what proved to be the season finale with 4 points on 1-for-7 shooting (0-for-2 from downtown). No competitor of Pierce’s caliber would want to walk away from the game on that note, particularly after having a clutch shot waved off, but it’s an option the 2008 Finals MVP finds himself considering.

As Kilgore reported, Pierce has a player option for next season on his contract worth $6 million dollars. Will he take it, extend his late-career sting with the Wizards and play an 18th season?

> “I don’t even know if I’m going to
> play basketball anymore,” Pierce told
> The Washington Post.

The veteran revealed the emotions of the season-ending loss in many of his post-game comments.

> “It affects not only you, but the
> people around you,” Pierce said. “Days
> like this, you go home and you’re
> around your family, you don’t feel
> like talking to them or doing anything
> because of what the game does. It
> takes a bit out of you.”

Retirement is on the table for the future Hall of Famer now, and Pierce said calling it quits — whether it comes this offseason or down the road — will probably be the hardest thing he ever has to do.

> “I’m never going to have no regrets,
> whether I hang it up now or later,”
> Pierce said. “I know that people who
> have been around me all these years
> know that Paul Pierce came every day,
> left it out there every day. I know I
> left everything out there.”

*- Keep up with the production of all the ‘Hawks in the NBA [daily at KUsports.com][3].*

*- [Follow @BentonASmith on Twitter][4].*

[1]: http://www2.kusports.com/weblogs/hawks_nba/2015/may/11/paul-pierce-offers-insight-on-crunch-tim/
[2]: http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/wizards/paul-pierce-questions-future-after-emotionally-draining-loss/2015/05/16/81e1eab8-fb6c-11e4-a13c-193b1241d51a_story.html
[3]: http://www2.kusports.com/news/mens_basketball/hawks_nba/
[4]: https://twitter.com/BentonASmith

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