Paul Pierce just doesn’t quite look like himself these days.

There are certainly times in the postseason thus far that “The Truth” has surfaced.

It was vintage Pierce when he canned three straight picturesque step-back jumpers over Chicago’s John Salmons in overtime of Game 5.

There was no doubt who the top player on the court was when Pierce went for 13 points in the first quarter of Game 3 against the Bulls. 

However, despite averaging more than 20 points per game in the nine postseason games thus far, Pierce hasn’t been nearly as dominant as he was a year ago.

He’s looked like just another player.

You can make a case that he was the fifth best player in the Chicago series -- behind Bulls guards Ben Gordon and Derrick Rose -- and teammates Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen.

Thus far against Orlando, Pierce has been ineffective.

An early sign may have been the missed free throw with 2.5 seconds left in the series-opener against the Bulls, but he’s hardly been known as clutch throughout his career at the charity stripe so that one was deservedly brushed off.

Then there was the average performance in Game 2 against Chicago, one in which he finished with a modest 18 points on 8-of-19 shooting.

In the postseason, Pierce is shooting less than 42 percent from the field, 36 percent from long range and fewer than two assists per game. He’s only had one game in which he’s made more than half of his field goal attempts and that was the Game 3 blowout in Chicago.

Certainly, the absence of Kevin Garnett has affected Pierce.

Now he received the majority of the opposing defense’s attention -- and when he takes the ball to the basket, there’s immediate help and a collapsing defense.

But Pierce has settled for much of the playoffs thus far.

There’s no injury that’s hampered his lack of consistent play, according to Pierce and also Celtics boss Danny Ainge.

“He’s fine,” Ainge said on Thursday.

Pierce’s poor performance in Game 2 against Orlando was, in large part, due to early foul trouble. He picked up two quick ones in the opening minutes of the game and then got a third on a silly reach-in shortly after going back in the game.

But this doesn’t look like the same guy that claimed NBA Finals MVP honors last June.

He looks fatigued and passive at times.

“I think Paul’s playing fine,” Ainge said. “It’s way too much to do about nothing.”

“It’s always a dilemma,” he added. “For guys like Kobe and Paul, if they take too many shots people say they’re too selfish and if they don’t take enough, they aren’t doing enough. They can’t really win either way.”

Ainge said the team isn’t built for one guy to carry the team on his back.

However, without Garnett, Pierce can’t continue to dominate in spurts if the Celtics are to get a crack and challenge LeBron and the Cleveland Cavs in the Eastern Conference finals.

Against a fairly mediocre Magic club, Pierce can play 15 minutes and score three points and the Celtics can get away with it.

But he’s going to have to return to the form that had many putting him a notch below LeBron and Kobe in order for the C’s to have any chance at knocking off King James.

Maybe it’s as simple as Garnett not being on the floor -- or maybe it’s that Pierce is tired from having to carry the club the second half of the season.

“I don’t think he’s worn down,” Ainge said. “I think he’s pacing himself.”

Pacing himself for what?

There’s not a whole lot of basketball left.

TOP 10 PLAYERS REMAINING IN POSTSEASON

1. LeBron James, Cleveland

2. Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers

3. Dwyane Wade Miami

4. Chauncey Billups, Denver

5. Paul Pierce, Boston

6. Dwight Howard, Orlando

7. Yao Ming, Houston

8. Carmelo Anthony, Denver

9. Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas

10. Rajon Rondo, Boston

Jeff Goodman is a senior basketball writer for FOXSports.com. He can be reached at goodmanonfox@aol.com.