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| AP Image |
Paul Pierce, The Truth, has been traded to the Brooklyn Nets in a blockbuster deal. There is no better time to reminisce his Boston career.
Pierce is arguably the fourth greatest player in the famed history of the Boston Celtics. Only 11-time NBA champion Bill Russell, three-time NBA champion Larry Bird and franchise all-time leading scorer and eight-time champion John Havlicek had more accomplished careers with Boston than Pierce.
Pierce played 15 years in Boston, leading the Celtics
to the playoffs 10 times, reaching the Finals twice and winning the NBA
Championship and Finals MVP in 2008. Pierce will be remembered as the greatest pure
scorer in Celtics history. He accumulated the second-most points in franchise
history (20th in NBA History as of now) with 24,021 points, trailing only
Havlicek, who spent 16 seasons with the Celtics. Pierce averaged the
second-most points in franchise history, registering 21.8 points per game,
behind Bird, who totaled 24.3 points per contest. Pierce ranks 9th in NBA history for points scored with one franchise.
Pierce holds the franchise record in steals,
three-pointers made (5th all-time in NBA history as of now) and free throws
made (10th all-time in NBA history as of now). Pierce also ranks 3rd in games
played, 3rd in minutes, 4th in assists, 7th in rebounds and 4th in blocks in franchise history.
But Pierce will not just be remembered because he
re-wrote the record books in the renowned history of the Celtics. He will
be known for being the most loyal player of his time, remaining with one
franchise for a decade and a half in an era "where players change teams as
often as they change socks,” to quote former Celtics head coach Doc Rivers.
Pierce did not bolt to another team in the tough
times, like LeBron James resorted to doing by joining the Miami Heat. He did not demand a trade when the future of the team
looked murky, like Kobe Bryant and so many other star players of this era did.
Pierce never attempted to force a trade (like Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard succumbed to doing). Instead, he trusted the management and owners to put the proper pieces around him necessary to
win a title. Following the dismal 2006-2007 season that included a team-worst 18-game losing streak, Pierce was pressed on whether he should command to be moved to a contender.
“I thought about it. I really did," Pierce admitted. “Told my family that I was thinking about asking to be traded. But something just pulled at me, told me to stick around.”
In
the summer of 2007, Danny Ainge rewarded Pierce's loyalty with the acquisitions of Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett.
A starting lineup of Pierce, Garnett, Rajon Rondo,
Kendrick Perkins and Allen won 66 games in the regular season. Alas, the Celtics
needed the heroics of Pierce to win the title.
In a Game 7 battle for the ages, Pierce outdueled
LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2008 Eastern Conference
Semifinals at the TD Garden, scoring 41 points in the series-deciding contest.
In the Conference Finals against the Detroit Pistons,
Pierce was able to score 11 of his 27 points in the 4th quarter of the series-clinching Game 6,
leading the Celtics to their first trip to the Finals since 1987.
The Celtics faced off against their longtime rivals
in the Finals, but the Los Angeles Lakers were no match for the Green and White. Despite spraining his MCL in Game 1 of the series, Pierce managed to outshine Bryant in the Finals. Pierce earned the Finals MVP award, posting 21.8 points, 6.3 assists and 4.5 rebounds in the series.
Pierce finally won the championship ring he coveted
for so long, helping him stand parallel to the Celtics legends.
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| Paul Piece holding the Finals MVP trophy in 2008, moments after winning the title. (AP) |
The Celtics had no championship hangover for the
2008-2009 season. Boston started the season off 27-2 (best start in NBA history) and looked unstoppable in the process. Heartbreak
struck in February of 2009 in Utah as Garnett hit the floor with a knee
injury, forcing him into season-ending surgery months later. The
Celtics still fought hard that postseason without Garnett and made it to the Conference
Semifinals, before losing to the Orlando Magic in seven games. Had Garnett
remained healthy, the Celtics would have almost certainly made it to the Finals
against the Lakers for a championship rematch. It should be noted that the Lakers would have been the clear cut favorites in the series, even had the Celtics retained their health that year. The real shame, though, in Garnett getting hurt is that it robbed the Celtics of a true chance to defend their title.
Garnett hobbled his way through the duration of
the 2009-2010 regular season as the Celtics stumbled into the playoffs as the
fourth seed. But the Celtics were able to upset the Cavaliers
(forcing James to depart to South Beach) in the Conference Semifinals and
then defeated the Magic in six games in the Conference Finals.
The Celtics led the Lakers 3-2 in
the 2010 NBA Finals, before starting center Perkins tore his ACL in Game 6 of the Celtics' blowout loss in Los Angeles. The Celtics lost a hard fought battle in
Game 7, 83-79, as the team got pounded on the glass, getting out-rebounded
53-40. If Perkins were healthy for that game, the Celtics rebounding issues
would not have been as severe and the Celtics would have been in prime position to snatch the game and the title.
Pierce will beloved in Boston forever after restoring
the glory of the franchise by capture the 2008 NBA title. Pierce probably should have won two titles had it not been for unprecedented bad luck in 2010. But luck is a part of sports sometimes, and the Celtics unfortunately ran into consecutive years of cruel misfortune with the injuries to Garnett in '09 and Perkins in 2010.
Regardless of the amount of rings Pierce won in Boston, he will always be treasured for his loyalty, his passion and his ability reestablish Boston as a basketball-first city.
Regardless of the amount of rings Pierce won in Boston, he will always be treasured for his loyalty, his passion and his ability reestablish Boston as a basketball-first city.
The future Hall of Famer had so many great moments that I
have yet to mention, so let’s go through some of his his career bests:
2002 Regular Season Contest Versus Nets (in New Jersey)
Pierce went 1-for-16 shooting with just two points in the first half, before becoming unstoppable in the second half and overtime. He scored 46 points after intermission to guide the Celtics to an overtime victory.
2002 EASTERN CONFERENCE
QUARTERFINALS GAME 5: 76ers at Celtics
In the deciding game of the opening round, Pierce lit
up the Philadelphia 76ers for a playoff career-high 46 points, including going 8-10
from three-point range. The Celtics advanced to the Conference Semifinals after
throttling the 76ers by 33 points.
2002 EASTERN
CONFERENCE FINALS GAME 3: Nets at Celtics
The Boston Celtics entered the fourth quarter of Game
3 of the Eastern Conference Finals down 74-53 to the New Jersey Nets in front
of their home crowd.
Pierce cemented himself as a Celtic legend in this incredulous
comeback, scoring 19 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter (connecting on six layups in the final frame) as the Celtics
rallied from what was a 27 point deficit in the third quarter to win and
complete the greatest comeback in NBA playoff history.
2003 EASTERN
CONFERENCE QUARTERFINALS GAME 4: Pacers at Celtics
Pierce had the Garden unconscious, scoring 32 of his 37 points in the second half. He set a a
Celtics franchise record that day for most points in one half in a playoff game. The
most memorable sequence of the game came when Pierce trashed talked Al Harrington
with the ball in his hands for most of the shot clock before draining the
three-pointer.
2006 Regular
Season Game Versus Cleveland Cavaliers
Paul Pierce was awe-inspiring on this night in a clash
with LeBron. Pierce scored a career-high 50 points, the most ever totaled in the
TD Garden (circa 1995). The Cavs, however, won the game.
2008 EASTERN CONFERENCE
SEMI-FINALS GAME 7: Cavs at Celtics
As previously noted, this was a shootout for the ages
between Pierce and James. It drew comparisons to the 1988 battle between Bird and Dominique Wilkins. Pierce hit clutch shot after clutch shot as he
registered 41 points to put away the Cavs and save the Celtics season.
2008 NBA
FINALS GAME 1: Lakers at Celtics
After landing awkwardly on his leg (he sprained his MCL) after
a made basket by Bryant in the third quarter, Pierce had to be carted off
on the court in a wheel chair. He returned minutes later and proceeded to knock
down three 3’s as part of a 15 point quarter for the Truth. The Celtics won
Game 1 behind the efforts of Pierce, 105-98.
2008 NBA
FINALS GAME 4: Celtics at Lakers
The Lakers entered Game 4 (trailing 2-1) with an
extreme sense of urgency and pounded the C’s in the first quarter, jumping out
to a 35-14 lead, the largest first-quarter lead in NBA Finals history. The Celtics appeared doomed as they trailed
by 18 points at halftime. By the midway point of the third quarter, the Lakers
had increased their lead to 24 over the Celtics.
The Celtics stormed back as Pierce posted a game-high 20 points to spearhead the
Celtics to the victory, the largest comeback in Finals history since
1971.
2008 NBA
FINALS GAME 6: Lakers at Celtics: BANNER 17
2009 EASTERN CONFERENCE
QUARTERFINALS GAME 5: Bulls at Celtics
In a key game in one of the best series of all time
between the Chicago Bulls and Celtics, Pierce stayed true to his flair
for the dramatic by knocking down a jumper with three seconds remaining in overtime
over John Salmons that helped the Celtics win a pivotal Game 5. The Celtics closed out the Bulls in seven games.
2010 Eastern
Conference Quarterfinals Game 3: Celtics at Heat
Paul Pierce ended any chance of a long series
between the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat, knocking down a buzzer-beater in
Game 3 in South Beach to silence an already quiet crowd. Dwayne Wade was spotted crying in soft tears on the bench after fouling out. The Celtics won
the series in five games, forcing Wade to beg LeBron to join forces in Miami.
2010 NBA
FINALS GAME 5: Lakers at Celtics
Pierce racked up a game-high 27 points as the Celtics
defeated the Lakers 92-86 to take a 3-2 series lead, before losing in
devastating fashion in seven games.
2012 Regular
Season Contest Versus Charlotte Bobcats
Pierce passed Bird to move into second place on
the franchise's list of all-time leading scorers in a 94-84 win over the
Charlotte Bobcats at TD Garden on February 8, 2012. Pierce buried a 3-pointer
from the right wing with 10:23 to play in the third quarter to move past Bird. Surpassing
Bird in points scored helped remind fans just how legendary Pierce was for
Boston.
2012 EASTERN
CONFERENCE FINALS GAME 5- Celtics at Heat
Pierce drained a three-point dagger over James to
seal the victory for the Celtics. The shot is now being referred to as “The Last Shot” as this became the final memorable playoff moment for Pierce as
a member of the Boston Celtics. This was a cold-blooded shot right in LeBron's mouth.
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