Boston Celtics: Paul Pierce’s Iconic 2008 NBA Finals ‘Poop Game’ Sneakers Sells for a Jaw-Dropping Value on eBay

But Paul Pierce returned shortly from the locker room and finished the game with 22 points on 7-of-10 shooting to give the Boston Celtics a 98-88 win to take a 1-0 series lead against the Los Angeles Lakers.

There was speculation regarding Pierce’s comeback because of how bad the injury looked. The 10-time NBA All-Star jokingly said he “needed to go to the bathroom” and was ridiculed. However, later on, he revealed that he needed the wheelchair because he sprained his MCL at the time.

Former Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers shared his take on Paul Pierce’s “Wheelchair Game”

Doc Rivers admitted that he was scared after Paul Pierce injured his knee during Game 1 of the 2008 NBA Finals, although he said he was unaware that the 2008 Finals MVP went to the locker room via a wheelchair.

“They saw him in a wheelchair. And all this, I didn’t see any of that. I remember going to the press conference after the game and someone asked me about a wheelchair and I was like, ‘What wheelchair? What are you talking about?’ I was in the game, so I didn’t know any of this,” recounted Rivers.

“Now, I thought Paul may be out when he got hurt — it looked (that way), the way he grabbed his knee — and I had an ACL (torn) as a player,” he added.

Speaking more about Paul Pierce’s surprisingly fast recovery, Doc Rivers also dispelled notions that the Boston Celtics planned this  ruse to mislead the Laker fans and players and said it was just a case of “Paul being Paul.”

The Boston Celtics eventually won the title after six games, and Paul Pierce was named Finals MVP after averaging 21.8 points and 6.3 assists per game while shooting 43.2 percent from the field and 39.3 percent from three-point land.