Pierce said he heard a pop and was in a lot of pain. Celtics players, in addition to their fans, felt Pierce was lost for the whole series. Turns out it wasn't as serious as first thought and he returned to the game.
What does Pierce as an individual have to gain from faking an injury like this? Paul Pierce, the person who was stabbed 19 times and subsequently played all 82 games the following season? Pierce, who was waited his whole career to play in a Finals game, would be willing to take himself out of arguably the most important game of his career to that point?
Makes a lot of sense. Don't look now, your anti-Celtic bias is showing again.