Shaking off the rust from being out of action for nine days, Paul Pierce was his old self again on Wednesday night.

Helping Boston put together a two-game winning streak with a 104-80 win over the Charlotte Bobcats, the Captain had 27 points on 9-of-13 shooting, with four assists, three steals and one block in 27 minutes of action.

Prior to the game, Paul expressed his initial frustration with his injury situations to the Worcester Telegram:

"It’s difficult," Pierce said. "You get into a groove and you sit out a couple of weeks. Then you get into a groove and sit out again. It’s like going into a race and starting and stopping. How do you expect to win if you can’t get into a comfortable pace, especially a long-distance race?"

But The Truth dealt with the frustration and took it out on the Bobcats, draining nine buckets and posting his highest point total in over a month when he scored 35 against Atlanta on January 29.

The Celtics also seemed to be stronger as a unit, led by Paul’s magnificent performance, as the Boston Globe reported:

"Paul Pierce was sparkling, recording his first 20-plus point game since scoring 35 against the Hawks Jan. 29. He scored 27 points in 27 minutes, draining four 3-pointers, and Nate Robinson sparked a 16-0 first-half run with three consecutive 3-pointers."

Paul told reporters that he was beginning to feel more upbeat especially because of what his body was telling him:

"I feel pretty good right now, to tell you the truth," he said. "My body feels great."

His strong performance didn’t surprise coach Doc Rivers. Doc told The Boston Herald he was almost expecting it:

"We have to use these games to get him going," Rivers said. "Paul, even coming off injury, doesn’t have two bad games in a row."

The win was a rare laugher for the Celtics, who have played more close games this season then they care to talk about. Wednesday's win was their first double-digit home win since defeating Minnesota, 122-104, Dec. 20.

PROTECT THIS HOUSE
Paul and company made it clear they wanted to improve their home record at the TD Banknorth Garden, as he told The Boston Globe:

"The Celtics improved to just 17-11 at home compared with 21-10 on the road, which is second-best in the NBA to Cleveland (22-10).

"It’s a start," Pierce said, still not convinced the Celtics are confident enough at the Garden. "We haven’t had a game like this in a while. We need to come out each and every game like this. If we just played a little bit better at home, we’d probably have the best record in the league. This is a place we have to establish ourselves."

TAKE OUT THE TRASH
In the third quarter of the victory on Wednesday, Paul was hit with a technical foul after a war of words with Bobcats guard Stephen Jackson led to a small tussle.

Jackson was displeased with Paul's trash talk, calling it "too personal"  but Paul liked that the play energized the Celts and their home fans, as he told the Boston Herald:

"We have to do that more, to tell you the truth," Pierce, whose trash-talking set off the Bobcats’ Stephen Jackson early in the third quarter, said of rediscovering an edge. "We have to talk trash, intimidate people, but not to the point where it becomes a distraction."

NEXT UP
Paul and the Celtics travel to the Wachovia Center to take on Philadelphia 76ers on Friday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game can be seen on CSNHD or listened to on WEEI.

RELATED STORIES
Healthy Pierce seeking groove (Worcester Telegram, March 4, 2010)
http://www.telegram.com/article/20100304/NEWS/3040746/1009/sports
The Truth rebounds (Boston Herald, March 4, 2010)
http://bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view/20100304the_truth...
Celtics have the answer (Boston Globe, March 4, 2010)
http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2010/03/04/celt...
Celtics blowout proves that disco's not dead (Boston Herald, March 4, 2010)
http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view/20100303paul_...

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