Joe Johnson a 'Decoy' for Nets

Joe Johnson has been playing through a great deal of pain during this playoff series against the Chicago Bulls, and he even admits it. He states that he's pretty much playing on just one leg and his abilities are severely limited on the court. He has been playing through some pretty bad plantar fasciitis since February. Johnson expressed doubt that he would even play at all if this were the regular season, that's how severe the injury is.

“It’s kind of like I’m out there on one leg, honestly, man," Johnson said on Wednesday. "I can't really push the basketball if I get a rebound. I can't really run pick-and-rolls, so basically I'm a decoy, a spot-up shooter. I can't really do a whole lot. Like I told Deron and Brook I'll be the bailout guy if you get into a sticky situation. Just try and find me."

P.J. Carlesimo spoke about how the condition of Johnson's foot would not change. It would not get any worse, but it also will not get any better at this point in the season. That just means Joe will have to push himself through this, even though it will still be extremely painful. He was playing limited minutes after he came back from the injury in February, but that didn't really do much for him as his condition remained unchanged.

"I'm not concerned that Joe's playing injured,  (and) I'm not worried that he's going (to) injure it  anymore," Carlesimo said. "It's what it is. He's playing, hindered or whatever is the correct  word and it's just - he's dealing with it. I think that people probably don't appreciate what he's  going through every game to go out there and to play," Calesimo continued. "That's what warriors do."

 In response to Chicago Bulls' power forward Taj Gibson's remarks stating that the Bulls are more resilient due to the "fact" that they are more able to cope with injuries, Johnson said:

"It doesn't matter, doesn't mean anything, at this point," he said of the matter of toughness. "It's about who wants it bad enough. We've proven a lot in this series. Right now out backs are against the wall still, and we have to go to Chicago and win a game - point blank. The thing  about who's tougher - it doesn't matter at this point."

Johnson says that the Bulls have tried to take advantage of his injury by making him move a lot on defense. He said it's more challenging for him to play through his injury than it is for Bulls' center Joakim Noah because of the difference in positions.

 "I think (the Bulls) do the same thing - running me off picks and screens and making me move a lot," Johnson said. "I think it's a little different from me and Joakim Noah considering the fact  that he's a big man and I'm a guard. My game is predicated on moving around, chasing guys off picks and going off the dribble, running pick and rolls. So he has a little easier than what I   have."

Source: New York Daily News
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