"Paul Pierce [stats] was walking through the tunnel after doing the star interview yesterday when a friend asked him for his jersey.

"I think I might have to keep this one," Pierce said. "This is the best I done played in a long time."

Indeed, on a day when Rajon Rondo remained sidelined with a sprained right wrist and Ray Allen left in the second quarter with a jammed left ankle, the Celtics needed Pierce to play better than he had all season. And the captain did so with season highs of 34 points, 10 assists, eight rebounds and three steals in a 100-94 victory against the Washington Wizards.

"That's the Paul we've been missing," Rondo said. "He played great. We believe in him, and we're going to continue to believe in him.""