BOSTON -- The Celtics offense is all about sharing the basketball.

After all, the team currently has three future Hall of Famers on it and it could be four if Rajon Rondo continues to improve each year like he has so far.

So nobody expected Boston captain Paul Pierce to rank among the league-leaders in points per game this season even though scoring is what he does best. On the surface, Pierce's numbers are solid. He leads the team with an average of 17.5 points per game. He also averages 4.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists.

But lately Pierce, who has had battled nagging injuries all season, isn't scoring as much as Boston would like him to, and the Celtics are struggling because of it.
Entering last night's game against Indiana, Pierce was only averaging 12.9 points per game since Feb. 1. The Celtics are just 11-7 over that span (excluding last night's game).

"Paul's not playing well yet," Boston coach Doc Rivers said. "We have to live through that and we have to play through that. But I think that's something we have to do through playing in games. I don't think you sit him or rest him or anything like that. I just think you play through it.''

The 17.5 points are the lowest since his rookie season (16.5).

"When he's playing well, we're pretty hard to beat," Rondo said of Pierce.