Dec. 25--Long after it became a symbol of their rivalry as they jostled for NBA titles, the same motif works for Kobe Bryant and Paul Pierce as their careers near an end.
Yep, the wheelchair.
In the enduring image of the 2008 Finals, Pierce was whisked off the court in the third quarter of the opening game in a wheelchair after sustaining a knee injury. He would return to hurt the Lakers in a Boston Celtics victory that presaged a championship for the Celtics in six games.
More recently, Bryant could have added a red cross next to the No. 24 on his jersey, so frequent were his trips to the trainer's room. His last three seasons ended because of a torn Achilles' tendon, a fractured knee and a torn rotator cuff. A bothersome shoulder kept him out of a game earlier this week, and Lakers Coach Byron Scott constantly keeps tabs on soreness and fatigue that might warrant rest.
Pierce is also achingly familiar with age-related discomfort, which forced him to miss a game earlier this week.
"His back's hurting," Clippers Coach Doc Rivers said when asked if Pierce's being 38 had something to do with it. "So, yeah, probably."
In a more festive development, the injury reports for the Lakers and Clippers don't include Bryant or Pierce as the future Hall of Famers prepare to play one another on Christmas for the last time Friday at Staples Center. Bryant has already declared this will be his final season, but it's probably best to hold off on pronouncing either player done.
Bryant, 37, has shaved a decade off his game the last few weeks, posting up and scoring over younger players and energetically leaping for rebounds. His revival is reflected in his average of 23.8 points on 47.2% shooting over his last five games, far outstripping his sagging production from earlier this season.
"I can still play a little bit," Bryant said wryly after splurging for 31 points Monday against the Denver Nuggets.
Pierce hasn't been all that productive in the early part of his first season as a Clipper, leading to some renewed thoughts that this could be his final Christmas game.
"It's crossed my mind the last three years," Pierce said Thursday. "Who knows?"
Pierce went on to describe conflicting voices that cause him to vacillate between playing beyond this season and calling it quits, a decision he said he will make this summer.
"You wake up every morning and this crazy thing in your head says, 'Get to practice, work on your game, get out there and compete,'" said Pierce, whose 26,010 points rank 16th on the NBA's all-time list. "Then you have that other little bug that says, 'Maybe it's time to hang it up.' It's just little voices. You don't hear these voices until you get older."
In some ways, Pierce's career-low output of 4.1 points and 2.3 rebounds in 16.3 minutes per game was to be expected. The 18-year veteran was largely acquired for what he could do in April and May, not in November and December.
