"After what was seemingly a Hundred Years War of Words, the conflict was settled. Paul Pierce and Ray Allen debated the issue of which of them is the 3-point king intently, and now we have our answer.

James Jones.

The two Celtics made the three-man final round in the NBA's long-distance shootout last night, but they were overcome by the Miami marksman's 20-point tour of the court. Pierce went first and had 18, and after Jones raised the bar, Allen came in at 15.

So Pierce didn't defend the NBA 3-point shootout title he won last year in Dallas, and Allen, the NBA career leader in treys made, didn't add a bookend to the trophy he won in the 2001 contest when he was with Milwaukee.

While Pierce smiled his way through the night, interacting with the LA fans who booed him heartily, Allen was more earnest about the proceedings.

"I wanted to win," he said. "I wanted to win badly, and I didn't need to talk about it. You know, I just wanted to do it. If I could find a gym tonight, I'd go through it again just to get the feeling out of my stomach."

Pierce kept the Muhammad Ali routine going for a while after they left the floor.

"I don't know, man. I just know I got 18 in the final," he said. "I mean, I don't know."

But Allen scored a 20 in the first of the two rounds, while Pierce had to make a late run to get to 12 and advance. That means Allen had 35 total while the Celtics captain had 30.

"I'm just saying that you don't combine the two," Pierce said with a broad smile. "It's like if we all went up to the podium, James Jones would have got gold. I would have got .?.?. silver. And Ray got bronze. I mean, you know?"

Asked if he would challenge Allen to settle it this week on the Celtics' road trip out west, Pierce backed off and bowed down."