Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff

Anyone out there remember the old game show Truth or Consequences? (Boy, I’m really dating myself here, aren’t I?) Well, Celtics fans who seem to think unloading Paul Pierce is a good idea are finding out exactly what the consequences are when you don’t have The Truth on your side.

I know the captain can sometimes be infuriating. Trust me, I wanted to reach through the TV screen and choke him the night he dribbled into a quadruple-team and couldn’t get a shot off in the closing seconds against Golden State. There are far too many instances of the guy trying to go solo against a defense that knows exactly what he’s going to do late in a close game, allowing the opposition to ignore everyone else on the court. It is the biggest flaw in an otherwise very good basketball player.

But if you thought life without Pierce would be just grand, I present exhibits A, B, C & D, also known as the last four Celtics games since #34 has been sidelined. Not only did the C’s lose all four contests that appeared winnable on paper, they had no real shot in any of them.

Welcome to life without Paul Pierce. Sometimes, you don't appreciate what you have until it’s gone!

What do you think of the Celtics recent play without Pierce? Is this how it would always be, or could the team eventually adjust and improve?