The regular season was a reminder of why the Boston Celtics are one of the best teams in the league to ever play. The Playoff, too, started with the hope that the Celtics were a contender. But New York had some other plans for Boston. The humiliating playoff exit left the entire city of Boston heartbroken. The Knicks handed the Celtics this defeat, and rightfully so. This wasn’t just another tough loss at MSG. Fans watched in stunned silence as New York outright embarrassed Boston in a merciless 119-81 rout. Even for Celtics legends like Paul Pierce, the defeat was a bitter pill to swallow. He engaged in multiple interviews later, calling out the Knicks and defending the injured Celtics. However, that’s not all he has been doing. A little birdie tells us that Paul Pierce is entering into a whole different dimension.

As Kobe Bryant once did, by becoming the first former professional athlete to win an Oscar. Kobe’s production company, Granity Studios, was his creative vehicle to produce. And through it, he produced Dear Basketball. It was a short animated film based on the heartfelt retirement poem he wrote in 2015. The film later went on to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.

So, did the Celtics’ loss hit so hard that Paul Pierce is ready to switch careers? Maybe yes. Because Alex Cottrell uploaded an Instagram story, which confirmed that PP is funding a new Hollywood project. In the behind-the-scenes shot, PP was sitting on a staircase in a relaxed burgundy tracksuit. The setup was unmistakable. A high-end Cortex film crew surrounded Paul Pierce. The gear alone signaled this wasn’t some casual shoot, but a proper Hollywood vision.

Alex even captioned the story as “Day 2 filming my own movie 🎬🎥. Can’t wait for you guys to see it. Much love for supporting the vision @paulpierce.” Cottrell didn’t just thank Pierce for showing up. He framed him as a key piece in bringing a creative vision to life. Another slide followed this one, which gave us a sneak peek into the details. The raw monitor feed told the story. Robert Richard was delivering a performance.

Alex’s caption: “Day 2 is a wrap. @therobertrichard brought the house down!” This isn’t some indie passion project with shaky camerawork and half-baked execution. Now, you might think this is Paul Pierce’s first time dabbling in Hollywood. But you’d be wrong.

HOLLYWOOD, CA – MARCH 04: Filmmakers Kobe Bryant (L) and Glen Keane accept Best Animated Short Film for ‘Dear Basketball’ onstage during the 90th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center on March 4, 2018 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)Check his IMDb and you’ll find him popping up here and there over the years. Mostly as himself in sports docs, ESPN segments, and panel shows. He’s done the rounds on stuff like The NBA on ESPN, Area 21, and The Jump. But let’s be real, those were just cameos. This could be different. For the first time, Paul Pierce is putting his weight behind an actual film. It could seriously change how we see him after basketball.

Paul Pierce downplays Knicks win as he discounts Celtics loss

Paul Pierce came out swinging after the Knicks eliminated the Celtics. He immediately shifted the focus to New York’s next challenge. “Y’all, New York is up, all that. Pacers gonna pop y’all though. Y’all know that, right? Yeah, I know that. The Pacers is gonna get y’all, so I don’t even want to hear all that,” Pierce declared, making his Pacers prediction before even addressing Boston’s loss.

Only then did he downplay the Knicks’ achievement: “Y’all feeling good, Y’all beat us, Y’all beat an injured Celtics team, Y’all beat an injured Celtics team, bro. We didn’t have our All-NBA player, first team, MVP candidate who led us in all these categories.” This exact quote order reveals Pierce’s priorities, he’s more invested in doubting New York’s future than crediting their present success. The Truth’s injury excuse falls short when examining the series’ crucial moments.

When Jayson Tatum tore his Achilles in Game 4 with just three minutes remaining, the New York Knicks won 121-113, poised to take a commanding 3-1 series lead. Historical data shows only 4.4% of teams recover from such deficits, making Pierce’s hypotheticals about a healthy Celtics squad largely irrelevant. His reaction is less analysis and more of an emotional deflection from Boston’s shortcomings against a hungrier team.

Paul Pierce even doubled down on his Pacers support during his “Ticket & The Truth” podcast appearance. “I loved going to the Garden. It was nothing intimidating. It felt like I was at home there… Indiana, I felt like I was on the road,” he explained, suggesting the Pacers would handle MSG’s pressure better than the Knicks would handle Gainbridge Fieldhouse. While Pierce presents this as strategic insight, it comes off as a Celtics legend struggling to give the Knicks their due while searching for reasons to doubt them.