Accentuating the positive is Pierce’s plan this season
By Shira Springer, Globe Staff | November 1, 2005

Paul Pierce works the phones for a couple of minutes, organizing an evening of Texas Hold ‘Em poker with his teammates. The basement of his 7,200-square-foot house is fully equipped for fun. Red velvet pool table. Adequately stocked bar. Theater projection screen in front of an overstuffed black leather couch and two matching recliners. And in front of a barely stocked trophy case, the centerpiece: A poker table with four chairs like the ones in the Celtics’ locker room, except Pierce has had his number and ‘’The Truth” inscribed on them. Celtic poker chips are coming soon.

As he gives a tour from the weight room, complete with heavy bag for unleashing postgame frustrations, to the backyard, with speakers embedded in boulders, Pierce is surprisingly at home, a kid from Inglewood, Calif., comfortable in the New England woods. The house’s gray-shingled façade and its proximity to the team’s practice facility appealed to Pierce. He purchased the house about 18 months ago when it was under construction and trade rumors concerning the Celtics captain had not yet surfaced.

Despite all that happened last season, he has no regrets about the $2.5 million investment. He has plans to decorate with pictures of his career highlights, signed jerseys from former greats such as Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Hakeem Olajuwon, and Celtics memorabilia. He envisions a team hangout, a retreat from the demands of playing in a sports-obsessed city. For Pierce, his home is a sign of his commitment to Boston, albeit one few people will see.

‘’People perceive me by what they see on the basketball court,” said Pierce, between bites of pizza at his kitchen counter. ‘’That’s not really fair because who I am on the basketball court is not the person that I really am. But that’s the only thing that people see. Lately, people have said I’m not coachable. I don’t get along with my teammates. I’m moody. I’m a bad influence. I don’t know where that comes from. None of it really bothers me because I know myself and I know who I am.

‘’The so-called superstars of the league are not the same people on the court or around in public as they are away from it. If they say they are, half of them are hypocrites. You act a certain way. You talk a certain way [in public.] You don’t act the same way at work as you do at home, where you’re most comfortable. This is who I am, relaxing at my home. We’re gonna have a poker game tonight, enjoy the fellas.”

As captain, leading scorer, and highest-paid player ($13.8 million this season), Pierce is the most visible Celtic. He has few private places or private moments. He left his Waltham condominium because too many fans knew where he lived. Without Antoine Walker around to deflect attention for much of the past two seasons, Pierce was held responsible for the Celtics’ failures. At times, he did not deal well with the spotlight. But Pierce disagrees with those who consider him to be too emotional, selfish, immature, and undisciplined, a problem player who must be traded.