Being perfect was the only thing that could have been better for Paul Pierce last night. Overall, Pierce was the definition of efficient, as he scored a game-high 26 points in 26 minutes of the 108-83 victory over the Washington Wizards at TD Banknorth Garden. Discuss COMMENTS (1) Pierce converted 9 of 10 field goals, including 5 of 6 3-pointers, and 3 of 4 free throws, spending the fourth quarter on the bench with the rest of the Celtics' starters, waiting for the blowout to end. "I was just playing in the flow of the game, getting shots that were there," Pierce said. "I got a lot of open looks because of the way we moved the ball. [Rajon Rondo] got into the lane penetrating and that really opened things up. I just took the open shots that were given to me." Pierce was perfect in the first half and didn't miss until his sixth 3-point attempt, with 1:20 remaining in the third quarter. His shot bounced off the rim and into the hands of Kendrick Perkins for the putback, which extended the Celtics' lead to 81-53. If the shot had fallen, Pierce would have tied a franchise record for 3-pointers without a miss shared by Danny Ainge and Walter McCarty. When asked if the chance to take the record away from Ainge would have been significant, Pierce joked, "I guess so, because I know he doesn't hold many records. It would have been nice to erase his name. I'm just messing with you, Danny." Pierce's night ended when Tony Allen replaced him with 48.2 seconds left in the third quarter. Since the Celtics' 19-game winning streak ended with a 92-83 loss to the Lakers Christmas Day, Pierce has increased his scoring production. He dropped 20 points on the Lakers in 38:17, 21 on Golden State in 42:08, and 28 against Portland in 39:46. Coach Doc Rivers said Pierce is being more aggressive and it is allowing him to contribute more offensively. "I think we're doing a much better job of getting him the ball in the right spots," Rivers said. "I thought he was almost fine with moving the ball for a while, and we needed him to be as aggressive as he normally is because it kind of throws you out of rhythm sometimes when he just wants to be a passer." Rivers added that Pierce provides balance as a scorer, but "it's nice that he feels he can do other things because of the guys he has on the floor." Last night, however, Pierce had just one assist and one rebound, instead concentrating on his own scoring opportunities. From the first quarter, Washington's Caron Butler said he could see the Celtics were feeding off Pierce's energy, and the Wizards could not respond. At the half, Pierce was 6 of 6 from the floor, including four 3-pointers. "Paul was terrific," said Wizards coach Ed Tapscott. "He's a quality player, a quality competitor. You've got to respect everything he does on the floor, as you would with the rest of the team. They are a very good team, they share the ball, they don't seem to care who scores. I credit them and the coaching staff. There is a reason why they are champions." --

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