Quentin Richardson wasn’t looking to stir up trouble before Game 1 of the Celtics' first round Eastern Conference playoff series against the Heat. 

His hostile past with Paul Pierce dating back to his days with the Knicks was no secret. Both players were ejected for an altercation two years ago at Madison Square Garden. The following season, Richardson had some pointed words for the Celtics after they won the title.

"I think a few of those guys know they can’t just say anything to us," he said in November of 2008. "I’m just real curious to see what those guys will be saying if we weren’t in a basketball league and didn’t have referees. I mean it wouldn’t be the same story.”

But coming into this series Richardson didn’t want to let their history get in the way of his focus for the playoffs, though. That was his mantra before Game 1, anyway.

“For me, I’m here to play basketball and help my team win,” he said. “That’s the bottom line.”

And did he think his past with Pierce could be ignored on the court in this series?

“I just go out there and play, and then I see what’s going on and I play the game according to how everything’s going,“ he told WEEI.com before Game 1. “But my main focus is helping my team win.”

But as Saturday night progressed, Richardson saw what was going on … and he didn‘t like it. 

Fast forward to the fourth quarter when Pierce lay on the ground in front of the Heat bench grabbing his shoulder. As Kevin Garnett stood over him, Richardson approached the two Celtics on the sidelines. A scuffle ensued, and in the end Garnett was ejected (double technical fouls) while Richardson, Glen Davis, and Udonis Haslem were also issued technicals.  

Richardson’s interpretation is that he simply went to inbound the ball when he was met with trash-talking -- “I was trying to get over there to take the ball out of bounds and [Garnett] started talking to me, so I talked back,” he said.

Garnett’s version is different. “I saw Paul grab his shoulder, as a sting or whatever," Garnett said. "I just tried to call (Celtics trainer) Ed (Lacerte) over, just trying to get him soon room. And I just saw Q standing over him, talking nonsense. I just asked him to give him some room. Before you knew it, mayhem started.” 

But Richardson claims he never spoke to or directed any words at Pierce. His only communication, he says, was with his own teammate. 

“I don’t got no business talking to him,” he said. “He’s on the ground crying and I don’t know what’s going on. Two actresses over there, that’s what they are.”

Richardson added, “I said to J (Jermaine O‘Neal), I said, ‘He ok,’ because I knew nobody just touched him. How did he fall? Was he taking another break like he do so many times? Sometimes he falls like he’s about to be out for the season, and he gets right up. That’s all I said.”

O’Neal echoed Richardson’s sentiments of exaggeration. He said no one wants to back down in the playoffs, but he did not buy that Pierce was actually injured. 

“He wasn’t hurt, he wasn’t hurt. He was taking a break,” O’Neal said, adding, “Obviously he was in front of our bench. If teammates come over and get to pushing, then we’re going to take to that in a certain way. But it’s all in playoff basketball. I’m sure if it was the opposite way, it would happen the same way. We know it’s going to be a high energy, intense, physical series.”

There was no question this would be a tough match up. The Celtics entered the playoffs eager to “turn it on” after a disappointing regular season, while the Heat were one of the hottest teams heading into the playoffs. 

Michael Beasley believes things are just beginning between the Celtics and Heat. He predicts the series will go seven games, noting, “they won the first battle, it’s a war.”

“They’re physical, we got physical. We’re not going to back down,” he said. “They’re a real physical team and I think they tried, and are going to try, to punk us throughout the series. And it’s not going to happen.”

When asked why he thinks the Celtics will try to “punk” the Heat, Beasley responded, “That’s their M.O. They’re loud, they talk through the whole game. We’re not going to get out of our game. We’re going to stay focused and let them do what they do.” 

But it’s what the Celtics did that irritated Richardson. 

“I’m just surprised at people’s actions when I know them better than that, when they’re not those characters they portray in this movie,” he said. “They’re not who they say they are, Garnett and Pierce. They’re good basketball players, nothing other than that.”

The stage has been set for a first-round battle. The Heat look to accomplish their goal of stealing one game from the Celtics in Boston; the C’s look to protect their homecourt. While it remains to be seen how this series plays out, Richardson made it very clear that one thing is for certain. 

“I don’t like them,“ he proclaimed. “And they know it.”

After so many heated incidents, any reason in particular?

Said Richardson matter-of-factly, “I just don’t.”