VIDEO: Paul Pierce flourishes early with a deep 3

Paul Pierce cannot help but be fire.

Watch as the Washington Wizards small forward executes a beautiful fake on Atlanta Hawks forward DeMarre Carroll, then steps back to sink a deep shot from 24 feet out.

Pierce was 3-for-3 from deep in the first quarter of Monday's Game 4, carrying over the momentum he created with an incredible buzzer-beating game-winner in Game 3 on Saturday.

Pierce finished the game sinking 5-of-7 shots from beyond the arc, missing the most crucial 3-pointer that could have tied the score with nine seconds left in the game.

The Truth hurts.