Waltham, Mass. ? The New Jersey Nets found a way to defend Paul Pierce in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals: Let him shoot.

And Boston is hoping the Nets try that strategy again.

Boston's Paul Pierce shoots a free throw during practice. Pierce struggled with his shot during Tuesday's game against the Nets.

“The scoring’s going to come soon,” Celtics forward Antoine Walker said Thursday as the team prepared for Saturday’s Game 3 in Boston. “He’s going to have a big game.”

Before the best-of-seven series started, Pierce said New Jersey didn’t have anyone who could guard him.

He backed up the boast with an average of 37 points against the Nets in four regular-season games. Boston won three of them.

In the series opener, Pierce scored 27 but when the Nets went on a game-changing 18-8 run, Pierce was on the bench after picking up two fouls 16 seconds apart early in the third quarter. In Game 2, Pierce went 3-for-20 from the field and missed nine free throws.

“I still want the ball in my hands, regardless of how my night’s going,” he said.

“What else do you want me to do? I’m a scorer. That’s my role on the team. That’s all I’ve got to do to get out of it.”

The Nets are under no illusion that they’ve solved their problem with Pierce.

“Well, you know he is not going to go 3-for-20. That’s probably the last time in the series Paul will shoot the ball that badly,” Nets coach Byron Scott said. “And Antoine Walker, those guys are still going to shoot 25 to 30 times a game, they are both going to get good numbers.”

Pierce and Walker have a green light from Celtics coach Jim O’Brien to shoot whenever they get the open shot; that hasn’t changed.

“I thought they were great shots especially the ones from the free-throw line,” O’Brien said with a smile.

Pierce said he’s already made the only adjustment he’s going to make after his off-night, going back to his old approach on free throws. He hit just seven of his first 16 free throw attempts on Tuesday before making four in a row.