Boston Celtics

Paul Pierce

Re: Being in his 10th All-Star Game:
"It’s an honor each and every time. There’s only a select few who get chosen each and every year, and to come in here a 10th time, it shows a tribute to my team and the hard work I’ve put in over the years. I’m thankful for the opportunity in my 14th year to represent the Boston Celtics."

Re: Boston’s first half of the season:
“It’s definitely been hard when you think about the struggles, but at the same time you get a week here to kind of refresh mentally, get a clear head and not really think about it too much; enjoy the All-Star weekend. We look forward to the second half of the season. You always look at the season in three parts. You got the first half before the All-Star break, the second half, then you got the playoffs. So that first half is over with, we get kind of a mental break, get your body a break, then refresh and hopefully restart it a little bit."

Re: What should the headline say if Pierce wins All-Star MVP?:
“Pierce wins MVP. I don’t know, I’m not a writer."

Re: If he had to sleep on a teammates’ couch, as Jeremy Lin had to do for a while, who would he pick?:
Oh that’s easy, Kevin Garnett. He probably has the most comfortable couches.

Rajon Rondo

Re: Did he learn anything from suspension:
"I know you guys won’t see that again from me. (smile)"

Re: Hitting goals as a leader:
"I think I’m hitting my goals. I can do a lot more. I hold myself to a high standard, really. And I’m not pleased with the way the team is playing, so I think I can do a better job of maybe being vocal and speaking up as far as things we need to get done."

Re: If he feels responsible for where the team currently stands:
"I take full responsibility. You know not one person can do everything, but me being the leader and the point guard of the team, I think I need to do a better job as far as just finding a way to win."

Re: Different perspective watching games from home:
"It’s different watching the game on the sidelines than when you watch it on TV. You watch things over and rewind stuff back. For us, we just need to stay disciplined. We need to rebound the ball better, take care of the ball and just keep sharing the ball offensively. I think those three things are pretty simple, but we need to do it consistently."

Re: The past couple of days after being named an All-Star:
"I was actually going to the Bahamas Thursday morning but I got the call. Good birthday present. Surprisingly got the knock on the door that morning that I made the All-Star team."

Re: Change in packing when he changed destinations from Bahamas to Orlando:
"I packed myself Thursday… had to change out my swimming trunks (with a laugh)."

Tom Thibodeau - Eastern Conference Head Coach

Re: Coaching Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo again:
“No, but I’m excited about that (with a huge laugh). That never really crossed my mind, but obviously my experience there was tremendous. To win a championship with them, and just the type of guys they are. It’s always great to see them.”

Re: Coaching under Doc Rivers in past All-Star games:
"I learned a lot. He basically told me to get out of the way and then he said, he goes, 'I’ll share the game plan with you.' And he goes, 'The Miami guys all like to play a lot.' He encouraged 48 minutes for them. He’s a great friend. I coached one All-Star game with Jeff Van Gundy, and that was great, but being in Doc was tremendous. And it’s a lot of fun, so we’re looking forward to being here. The game always starts off up-and-down, but it becomes competitive toward the end and we’re looking forward to it.”

Re: Will he visit with Rivers this weekend since Rivers lives in Orlando:
"I had an opportunity to visit with him – well, we played them last week in Chicago so, we spent some time there, and hopefully we’ll have an opportunity to get together here.”