CELTICS GREEN BLOG by and for boston celtics fans: Much Ado About the Captain

Tuesday was quite an eventful day! Celtics Nation was collectively standing on the ledge ready to jump as reports surfaced that Paul Pierce MAY have a broken foot. First there was this headline from David Aldridge of NBA.com:

Celtics' Pierce may have broken left foot

He does say that they don't know for sure, but are running more tests. That started the speculation. Then there was this cryptic message from Shelden Williams on Twitter:

Man when it rains it pours!!! Yall will find out what I mean soon!!!!

Well that opened the flood gates! Bloggers were posting breaking news that Pierce may have a broken foot and everyone was sitting by the computer just waiting for some real news. Here are some of the headlines that popped up:
Pierce Might Have Broken Left Foot, Pierce has Undefined Injury, Shelden Pulls The “Get Celtics Fans Worried Alarm”, Paul Pierce injury could be broken foot, Breaking News: "League Source" says Pierce's Foot is Likely Broken, Source: Pierce May Have Broken Left Foot, among others.

Then, Danny Ainge told Gary Tanguay:

"We just don't know. We basically don't know the extent of the injury. The doctors don't have all the information to make the decision. We expect to make an announcement tomorrow."

That fueled even more speculation because it sure sounds like a smoke screen from the master of smoke screens.

I just couldn't let myself believe that his foot was broken. In his post game press conference Pierce said that he knows his body pretty well and that he didn't think it was serious. If he had a broken foot, I don't think he would have been that optimistic in the press conference. Then I watched Sports Tonight and they mentioned that Pierce walked to the plane without crutches or a boot or anything and didn't have a limp. I had already decided that the news was going to be much better than all the dire reports were stating.

I'm glad that we didn't have to wait until tomorrow to get the report. Celtics.com has this press release posted:

The Boston Celtics announced today that forward Paul Pierce suffered a strained left mid-foot during the first quarter against the Washington Wizards on February 1. He is currently listed as day-to-day.

And Chris Forsberg posted this on his ESPN Celtics Blog:

A team source believes that no further tests (MRI or X-rays) are scheduled for Wednesday and Pierce will simply be evaluated by team doctors to gauge when he might be able to return. The team has not ruled out that he could play against the Miami Heat, though they will proceed with caution.

Pierce's injury diagnosis is in line with what he told reporters following Monday's win.

“It rolled over when Caron landed on it," said Pierce. "I think I have a mild mid-foot sprain. I’ll check it out [Tuesday] and get an X-ray. I feel good, but I did have pain in the foot."

So, step away from the ledge. The Captain isn't broken. Personally I would rather see him sit out the Miami game as we should be able to win without him and there is no use taking chances.
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