Stop asking questions about Paul Pierce. That is the message coming from Greivis Vasquez and the Toronto Raptors heading into game two of their NBA Eastern Conference first-round play-off.
Pierce starred as the Washington Wizards trumped the Raptors 93-86 in overtime on Saturday but the 37-year-old may have done most of the damage pre-game.
The 2008 NBA champion angered Toronto fans and became public enemy number one when he said the Raptors "didn't have the 'It' [factor] that makes you worried" in an interview with ESPN.
Pierce's comments did not go unnoticed by Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri, who was fined $35,000 while the team received an additional $25,000 fine, after "using obscene language in a public setting" during a pre-game rally outside Air Canada Centre.
"I'll tell you this is the last day I'm going to answer anything about Paul Pierce," Vasquez said on Sunday.
"Paul Pierce is a Hall of a Famer. I give him a lot of credit, he got everybody's attention.
"If we keep talking about Paul Pierce this is going to be a Paul Pierce series, not the Wizards.
"What he's doing is motivating his team, talking trash, so why would we talk trash? We don't have any trash talkers in our locker room."
Vasquez added: "We give him a lot of credit, he's got big balls, that's the reason he's The Truth [referring to Pierce's nickname].
"What else can I tell you? Good for him. He's a Hall of Famer. I love his game, good for him. I've got a picture of him. He's an idol, that's it. But we've got to play. But you can stop asking questions about Paul Pierce."