Paul Pierce Shoots 3, Ball Bounces Off Rim, Pierce Does Taxes, Ball Comes Down, Falls In Somehow

I have never seen a basketball bounce this high on its way into the basket. That ball didn’t just hang in the air, it hung in the balance, like an unopened letter from a lost love. That ball didn’t hit the rim, it reached up to high-five God. I’m not sure if it changed course midair or it finally understood where it deserved to land all along. Paul Pierce has struggled to score tonight, but he didn’t struggle to wave in fate.