34 Moments That Defined Paul Pierce’s Career

Future Hall of Famer Paul Pierce signed a 1-day contract on Monday to retire as a member of the Boston Celtics. Owner Wyc Grousbeck said Pierce’s No. 34 will soon hang in the rafters at TD Garden.

Paul Pierce signed a 1-day contract to retire as a member of the Celtics, the franchise he played with for 15 seasons. (Celtics Twitter)

Click HERE for a link to the article I wrote on behalf of The Cauldron, a Medium.com Platform, for Pierce's 34 greatest career moments.

Paul Pierce Moves into 15th Place on NBA's All-Time Scoring List, Passing Fellow Celtics Legend John Havlicek

         Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul Pierce, a longtime member of the Boston Celtics, moved into 15th place on the NBA’s All-Time scoring list with a circus and-one shot in the fourth quarter of LA’s 125-96 victory over the Houston Rockets.

How did that go in?!?

With this bucket, @paulpierce34 passed John Havlicek for 15th on the NBA all-time scoring list! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/kRVEphxMg7

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 11, 2017

            The basket gave Pierce 26,397 points for his 19-year career, moving him past another Celtics legend —Hall of Famer John Havlicek (26,395 career points)—in scoring as the 39-year-old forward added one last accolade in his final season in the league.

(NBA.com)

            Havlicek, who played all 16 seasons of his career with the Celtics, remains the franchise’s all-time leading scorer. Pierce spent the first 15 years of his career with the Celtics—before being traded to the Brooklyn Nets in the 2013 offseason—accumulating 24,021 points with Boston, the second-most in franchise history. Pierce is the Celtics' all-time leader in three-pointers, free throws and steals and ranks fourth in blocks, fifth in assists and seventh in rebounds.

            After one-year stints with the Nets and the Washington Wizards, Pierce has played out the final two seasons of his career with the Clippers.

            Now a reserve player, he has seen action in just 24 games this season. He played only seven minutes in Thursday’s win, scoring a season-high 10 points. All of Pierce’s points came in a three-minute stretch in the contest’s final period in which he buried two three-pointers from the top of the key, nailed a step-back jumper on the left baseline and concluded his mini scoring burst with the and-one bucket that helped the 10-time All-Star and former NBA Finals MVP become a top-15 scorer in league history.

NBA All-Time Leading Scorers

Rank	Player	Points
1.	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar*	38387
2.	Karl Malone*	36928
3.	Kobe Bryant	33643
4.	Michael Jordan*	32292
5.	Wilt Chamberlain*	31419
6.	Dirk Nowitzki	30239
7.	LeBron James	28787
8.	Shaquille O'Neal*	28596
9.	Moses Malone*	27409
10.	Elvin Hayes*	27313
11.	Hakeem Olajuwon*	26946
12.	Oscar Robertson*	26710
13.	Dominique Wilkins*	26668
14.	Tim Duncan	26496
15.	Paul Pierce	26397
16.	John Havlicek*	26395
17.	Kevin Garnett	26071
18.	Alex English*	25613
19.	Reggie Miller*	25279
20.	Jerry West*	25192
21.	Patrick Ewing*	24815
22.	Vince Carter	24550
23.	Ray Allen	24505
24.	Allen Iverson*	24368
25.	Carmelo Anthony	24139

(Via ESPN)

*Elected into Hall of Fame

Bold indicates Active Player

Paul Pierce, Boston Fans Gear Up For Emotional Super Sunday

                This year’s Super Bowl Sunday embodies the riveting experience of a Boston sports fan.

            Before New England Patriots QB Tom Brady bids for his fifth Super Bowl ring, Boston Celtics legend and current Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul Pierce will play his last game at TD Garden. Tip-off is at 2 p.m., just hours in advance of Super Bowl LI between the Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons.

Paul Pierce, former Celtics superstar, will square off against current Boston superstar Isaiah Thomas. (Brian Babineau/Getty Images)

                Boston fans must plan accordingly for what will be a day of elevated emotion as they give “The Truth” a final salute before he retires this summer—and then immediately gear up for the Patriots’ quest for #OneMore victory to secure the franchise’s fifth Lombardi trophy.

                Just like the fervent Boston fans, Pierce too, must prepare for a full Sunday of sports euphoria. The former NBA Finals MVP who holds Celtics franchise records in three-pointers, free throws and steals and ranks second in team history for scoring (24,021 points, to be exact) is an unabashed die-hard Patriots fan (just glance at his Twitter and Facebook accounts to understand the scope of his fanhood). The 39-year-old became a Boston sports icon alongside Brady in the 2000’s and hopes to see the four-time Super Bowl champion add another ring to his collection on Sunday.

Matt Ryan vs the 🐐 😂😂😂pats baby let's get this

— Paul Pierce (@paulpierce34) January 23, 2017

                Pierce, a first-ballot Hall of Famer who played the first 15 seasons of his career with the Celtics, has demonstrated his support for the Patriots throughout the playoffs—as he has done for over a decade now—despite last being a part of the Boston sports scene in 2013 when the Celtics traded him to the Brooklyn Nets in a blockbuster deal.

Hey Mortamier we're Back pic.twitter.com/6B4PHg1N4Y

— Paul Pierce (@paulpierce34) January 23, 2017

                Pulling for a fellow Boston championship MVP, Pierce holds firm in his belief that Brady is the G.O.A.T. of NFL QB's. Just ask Danny Ainge, the Celtics president of basketball operations, who spoke on Thursday in his weekly appearance on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Toucher & Rich,” and revealed Pierce regularly (and adamantly) argues in support of Brady's illustrious legacy.

                “If you ever wanted to throw Paul off his game in practice or just get him in a heated argument, all you had to do was say, ‘I think Peyton Manning is better than Tom Brady,’ and he would just go off and want to fight,” Ainge said.

                Ainge hinted that the Celtics plan to give Pierce a well-deserved video tribute—just as they did in his first game as an opposing player:

                Pierce garners respect from the Celtics Greats and some of the team’s well-known media personalities, including Mike Gorman. The Celtics play-by-play announcer for CSN New England, Gorman called Pierce his “favorite Celtic ever,” while color commentator and former Celtics player and head coach Tommy Heinsohn labeled Pierce the “best pure scorer in Celtics history.”

Pierce cemented his status as a Celtics legend. (Nathaniel S. Butler/Getty Images)

                The undisputed greatest player in the short history of TD Garden—which opened in 1995—Pierce must say goodbye to the arena where he produced countless memories for Celtics fans. While the original New York Yankees Stadium is “The House (Babe) Ruth Built,” TD Garden should always be known as “The House Truth Built.”

                After Pierce is finished playing in his final game on the parquet floor, he must quickly redirect his focus to the Patriots.

              “Pierce is the biggest Tom Brady fan and Patriots fan in the world," Ainge said, "so I know that he’ll have other things on his mind in his last game at the Garden, that’s for sure.”

                Boston fans can relate with The Truth in that regard.

Celtics' Franchise Four Shafted in ESPN's All-Time Rankings

            ESPN.com wrapped up its All-Time #NBArank list of the 100 greatest players in league history on Wednesday. A heavily scrutinized list, ESPN’s expert panel gave almost no method to their madness, outside of “basing their voting on peak performance and career value.”

            The rankings were none too kind to Larry Bird (Ranked No. 6), Bill Russell (No. 7), John Havlicek (No. 28) and Paul Pierce (No. 45)—widely considered the four greatest players in the history of the renowned Boston Celtics franchise.

The Mount Rushmore of the Boston Celtics Franchise (John Havlicek, Bill Russell, Larry Bird and Paul Pierce from left to right) all deserved a higher placing in ESPN's All-Time Rankings.

Understanding the Truth: Pierce Severely Underrated in Rankings

            Pierce, the Celtics’ franchise all-time leader in three-pointers, free throws and steals, was curiously ranked behind Bob Cousy (No. 39) and Kevin McHale (No. 31) among Celtics’ greats. Pierce—a 10-time All-Star and one-time NBA Finals MVP—ranks second in scoring in franchise history, fourth in PER (player efficiency rating), second in Offensive Win Shares, fourth in Defensive Win Shares, third in overall Win Shares and second in Value Over Replacement—all marks above both Cousy and McHale.

            Cousy’s dominance cannot be denied: He led the league in assists eight times (1953-1060), appeared in 13 All-Star Games (1951-1963) and won a league MVP (1957). The 6-time NBA champion dominated an era devoid of substantial guard talent. Most pundits surmise that his talents would not have translated to today’s NBA game, unlike other Greats from his era. And while Cousy won six titles (1957, 1959-1963), he was never the best player on any of those teams—that honor belonging to none other than Bill Russell.

            Similar to Cousy, McHale won more titles than Pierce—but was never the best player on any of his three championship teams. McHale even merged into a reserve role—albeit he did it in extraordinary fashion, becoming arguably the greatest sixth man (he won Sixth Man of the Year in consecutive years from 1984-85) in league history—for the Celtics’ titles in 1984 and 1986. Pierce, meanwhile, was in fact the best player on the 2008’ title team (though Kevin Garnett had a greater impact on the team’s regular season success) and was the face of the franchise for each of the 15 seasons he spent in Boston.

            The biggest disrespect towards Pierce, perhaps the most clutch player of his era, came in the rankings among small forwards. He failed to make the top-10 for the position. Pierce, who ESPN selected as the 11^th best small forward, ranked behind Dominque Wilkens (No. 44, 10^th among SFs), James Worthy (No. 43, 9^th among SFs), and Rick Barry, (No. 37, 8^th among SFs) to name a few.

            Wilkens, who failed to reach the Conference Finals in his 16-year career, has scored the 12^th most points in NBA history, ahead of Pierce (currently 16^th). But Wilkens—along with Worthy (98^th all-time in scoring) and Barry (60^th all-time in scoring)—ranks behind Pierce in every other significant statistic—rebounds, assists, free throws, three-pointers, steals and blocks.

            Barry and Wilkens each own an NBA scoring crown, but it should be noted that the season scoring champion for the league is measured in points per game—not total points. This in itself is ridiculous because players should be rewarded for staying healthy and playing as many games as possible. (Imagine the MLB giving the home run crown to the player with the most homers per contest, instead of total home runs. ) Pierce led the NBA in total points scored in the 2001-02 season but failed to win the scoring title as Allen Iverson averaged more points per contest.

            The lack of postseason success for Wilkens should omit him from the top-10 of small forwards. Worthy owns three rings, but was the third piece in the “ShowTime” Los Angeles Lakers dynasty of the 1980s behind Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The tandem of Magic and Kareem did the heavy lifting for the championship teams (1985, 1987, 1988) that Worthy was a part of.

            Barry enjoyed roughly the same postseason success as Pierce—winning a title and a Finals MVP—but putting him ahead of The Truth feels wrong. As previously noted, Pierce ranks ahead of Barry in every statistical category, and furthermore, was more of an elite one-on-one player. In addition, Pierce, a criminally underappreciated defender, is No. 22 all-time in defensive win shares—third among small forwards behind only Scottie Pippen (No. 16) and Havlicek (No. 12).

Paul Pierce's (ranked No. 45 overall by ESPN) omission from ESPN's top-10 small forwards of all-time is puzzling, to say the least. (Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

            Other retired players that were baffling to see ranked ahead of Pierce, who is 4th all-time in three-pointers (most among forwards), included Bill Walton (No. 42) and George Mikan (No. 33). It’s too soon to rank the young active Greats—Chris Paul (No. 29), Stephen Curry (No. 23) and Kevin Durant (No. 22)—so high this early in their careers. Assuming "CP3" attains some shred of postseason success, all three are well on pace to establish a more eminent legacy (particularly Curry) than Pierce.

Hondo’s Greatness Undervalued

            Havlicek ("Hondo") is the all-time leading scorer for the most successful franchise in NBA history. An eight-time NBA champion (1963–1966, 1968–1969, 1974, 1976) and 13-time All-Star (1966–1978), Havlicek is 13^th on the league’s all-time scoring list (LeBron James will soon pass him). A one-time Finals MVP (1974), Havlicek’s array of talent goes beyond scoring. He made five NBA All-Defensive First Teams (1972-1976) and is the all-time leader in defensive win shares (74.09) among small forwards.

            Despite the aforementioned accolades, Havlicek is found as just the seventh-best small forward in league history, according to ESPN. Pippen (No. 25, 6^th among SFs) was a masterful defender (10-time NBA All-Defensive First Team) and the ultimate sidekick to Michael Jordan. Havlicek, too served as a complimentary player, as Russell was the spearhead of the Celtics’ 11 titles from 1957 to 1969. The difference between Pippen and Havlicek lies in offensive prowess. Havlicek was a far more effective two-way player and the second greatest scorer of his era (Wilt Chamberlain owns that era's honor).

            Elgin Baylor (No. 24, 5^th among SFs) somehow landed above Havlicek in the rankings. An athletic freak, Baylor ranks third in points per game, behind Jordan and Chamberlain. He is one of two small forwards (the other being Larry Bird) to finish with 10 NBA First Team honors. Baylor, though, never accomplished ultimate postseason success. The championship-deprived Baylor also failed to capture an MVP trophy.

            Baylor did reach five NBA Finals before Chamberlain joined the Lakers in 1968, losing each time to Russell and Havlicek’s Celtics. The tandem of Chamberlain and Baylor reached three Finals together, losing twice to the Celtics and once to the New York Knicks. Chamberlain eventually won a title with the Lakers in 1972—the season after Baylor retired. Baylor finished his career with an egregious 0-8 record in the Finals.

            The most shocking ranking for small forwards has to be Kevin Durant (No. 22, 4^th among SFs). In the midst of just his 9^th NBA season and still yearning for his elusive championship, Durant has no business being ranked ahead of Havlicek. If Durant can win a title, he can certainly earn his current status on ESPN’s list. The 27-year-old has four scoring titles—third-most behind only Jordan and Chamberlain—and an MVP crown already. Durant himself says it’s too early to be ranking him this high. Let’s wait five years or so and reevaluate his place among NBA Greats.

Bill Russell Left Out of Top-5…How?

            The greatest winner in the history of the four major American sports, Russell was placed seventh in ESPN’s all-time rank. Winning a whopping 11 titles, Russell carved his legacy from the late 1950’s onward to the entire 1960’s. Second all-time in rebounding, Russell won five MVP awards—second-most  in NBA history.

            Russell is the greatest Celtic of all-time and should be ranked above Bird (No. 6). Russell was the best player in the league for the entirety of his 13-year career. Bird’s higher ranking on the list is likely accounted for his ability to score, distribute and consistently come up with clutch, late game heroics in an unprecedented manner. Since the two Celtics Greats played in a different era, the argument is at least plausible.

            How, though, could the ESPN panel rank Chamberlain ahead of Russell? Yes, Chamberlain accumulated more career points (a remarkable 30.1 points per contest) and rebounds (an otherworldly 22.9 rebounds per game). And sure, he was able to post a 100-point scoring effort and lasted two seasons longer than Russell. But Russell’s teams owned Chamberlain’s—particularly in the playoffs. Russell won eight of the nine head-to-head playoff series, including two NBA Finals (1964 and 1969). Russell also dominated the regular season matchups, winning 82 of the 142 contests against Chamberlain. Chamberlain put up the gaudy stats, but it was Russell who almost always came up on top in team wins.

Bill Russell Owned the Head-to-Head Matchups Against Wilt Chamberlain. (Kevin Regan/Getty Images)

            And is it really fair to rank both Magic and Kareem ahead of Russell? The two got the pleasure of playing alongside one another to wreak havoc against the league for over a decade. But the reality is Magic’s status has to be downgraded a bit because he was in the presence of Kareem, who owns a record six NBA MVPs.

            Kareem over Russell—maybe? But Magic ahead of Russell is blasphemy. Russell’s large edge in titles (11-to-5) is a clear difference maker. Both players were unstoppable in their facet of the game: Russell dominated the glass, while Magic manned the floor with an incredible vision and passing expertise. But the biggest difference is Johnson played in the shadow of Kareem.

            Going forward with the consistent theme that players shouldn’t be evaluated until their career is coming to a close or completely finished, LeBron James simply cannot be ranked ahead of Russell at this juncture. Russell should be ranked no worse than No. 3 as only Kareem and Jordan can compare to his greatness.

Larry Legend Deserves to Top Magic and Wilt in All-Time Rank

            Larry vs. Magic is the most celebrated player rivalry in the history of the league. The two guided the two most decorated franchises for a decade-plus, restoring popularity in the NBA. Magic got the best of Larry in the postseason, winning two of the three NBA Finals showdowns. That alone, though, does not make Magic the better player.

            While Magic was able to play literally every position on the floor, Bird was the more dynamic force. Bird was the far better scorer and featured an elite outside shooting range, something Magic did not possess. A four-time league assist leader, Magic was a whiz when it came to collecting steals. He led the league in steals in consecutive seasons (1980-1981, 1981-1982) and ranks 20^th all-time in steals. But it was Bird who was the superior defender, making three All-Defensive Second Teams. Magic never made an All-Defensive Team.

Larry Bird versus Magic Johnson remains the most illustrious player rivalry in NBA history. (Andrew Bernstein/Getty Images)

            Magic and Larry each won three NBA MVPs. Magic has the edge in titles (5-to-3) and Finals MVPs (3-to-2). But Bird had something that Magic lacked: the ability to take over any game in a moment’s notice. Johnson was an above average scorer and an elite passer but Bird’s combination of scoring and distributing was far more tantalizing. And with the game on the line, no player was more reliable than Bird with his unmatched clutch intangibles.

            Bird should be ranked no worse than No. 5 (he could be placed fourth and ahead of LeBron for the time being). Wilt’s postseason failures against his respective rival, Russell, should place him a notch below Bird, who thrived in the postseason.

8-Year Anniversary of Garnett Trade to Celtics

         Eight years ago today, the Boston Celtics traded for Kevin Garnett, who played six seasons for the green and white. We knew Garnett was going to give Paul Pierce a desperately-needed star sidekick—The Truth’s best teammate for the first nine years of his career was Antoine Walker—but we had no idea just how quickly The Big Ticket would change the culture of the Celtics. Six playoff appearances, five Atlantic Division titles, three trips to the Eastern Conference Finals, two Finals appearances and an NBA championship (2008) highlighted Garnett's tenure in Boston. He won Defensive Player of the Year in his first season with the team, helping the Celtics capture their first championship in 22 years.

Kevin Garnett was the anchor of the Celtics' defense for six seasons. (Getty Images)

            The Celtics were unable to win another title mainly because of two cruel twists of fate. The Celtics began their title defense 27-2—an all-time record to start a season—but saw their title hopes dissolve when Garnett suffered a season-ending knee injury. The following year starting center Kendrick Perkins tore his ACL in Game 6 of the 2010 NBA Finals, a series the Celtics eventually lost in seven games to the Los Angeles Lakers. Boston got pounded on the glass in the infamous, gut-wrenching Game 7 four-point loss in Los Angeles. Even with some heartbreaking losses—including the defeat at the hands of the Miami Heat in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals in 2012—Celtics fans can look back on the Garnett-era in Boston with nothing but smiles. Boston will always cherish the day the Celtics acquired Garnett.

George Karl's Desire to Trade Star Center DeMarcus Cousins Part of a Growing Patern

            George Karl wants to run another superstar out of town. Karl, named head coach of the Sacramento Kings on Feb. 11, desires the team’s front office to part ways with DeMarcus Cousins via a blockbuster trade. According to a report from Yahoo Sports!/FOX Sports 1 NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, Karl is imploring the Kings brass to wash their hands of Cousins. Here’s a piece of Woj’s report:

            Karl has been recruiting Kings vice president of basketball operations Vlade Divac and multiple players on the Kings' roster to unite with him in making the case to owner Vivek Ranadive that Cousins needs to be traded, league sources said.

            Since the end of the 2014-15 season, Cousins has become aware of Karl’s campaign to move him – including teammates telling Cousins, sources said. All around the Kings and Cousins, there is a growing belief the coach-player relationship is irreparable. Trust is a constant theme with Cousins, and he’s been unable to build any with Karl, sources said.

            No one in the Sacramento organization – not coaches, nor players, nor support staff – wants to imagine the combustible scenario awaiting Karl and Cousins should the Kings try to reunite them in training camp.

            Cousins has had his share of detractors since entering the league. His defense, laziness and inability to coincide with the team's head coach have been criticized. Though Cousins is not a model player—at least in terms of his mental toughness and work ethic—the talented big man is not at fault for being unable to co-exist with Karl.

            A 24-year-old first-time All-Star in 2014-2015, Cousins emerged as arguably the NBA’s top center last year, showing signs of maturity in the process.  In fact, Divac gave the young center immense praise in March, saying Cousins is the most talented big man he has ever seen.

             "I've been in basketball a long, long time, and I have to say he's the most talented big guy I have ever seen," Divac said of Cousins, who recorded the third-most double-doubles this past season (47) despite missing 23 games due to injury/illness. "Shaq [Shaquille O’Neal] wasn't talented -- he was just strong. I was talented, but I wasn't strong."

            The burden of the failed player-coach relationship falls on Karl. The 2012-13 NBA Coach of the Year, Karl has a history of butting heads with his team’s alpha dog, so it’s no surprise he has quarrels with Cousins, who posted 24.1 points, 12.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per contest with a 25.2 player efficiency rating (PER)—the seventh-best mark in the NBA.

DeMarcus Cousins is coming off a career-year for the Kings, but head coach George Karl wants the star center out of Sacramento. (Troy Taormina/USA Today Sports)

             Karl is responsible for Ray Allen’s departure from the Milwaukee Bucks. Allen led the Bucks to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2001—losing to the Allen Iverson-led Philadelphia 76ers in seven games—but was dealt to the Seattle Supersonics at the trade deadline two seasons later.

            "It came too much to an abrupt end," Allen said of his Bucks career. "It still seemed like there was more to be done here. Ultimately, I think it was the whole George Karl relationship. We started butting heads and it ended up not working.”

            The United States men’s basketball team made the mistake of hiring Karl to be head coach of the 2002 squad. The US had an embarrassing sixth-place finish in the 2002 Olympics—the only time the US has failed to win the gold since the International Olympics Committee granted professionals the opportunity to participate in the Games in 1992.

            Naturally, Karl had a scapegoat for the team’s catastrophic performance in the 2002 Games. The victim was Paul Pierce, the Boston Celtics’ budding star who was coming off his most impressive season as a pro in which he led the league in points scored. Karl—who before the tournament began told Pierce he was the team’s best individual offensive player—called the young guard/forward a “selfish player.” He said Pierce’s defense was lacking throughout the entirety of the Games. Pierce did not take Karl’s comments lightly. Prior to a regular season contest between the Celtics and Bucks in November 2002, Pierce ripped Karl to shreds when asked what he learned from playing for Team USA.

            ''I learned not to go play USA basketball if George Karl is the coach,'' said Pierce.

            ''I don't think he's a players' coach, straight up,'' said Pierce. ''It wasn't only me, but a number of the players didn't respond to what he was saying or understand what he was trying to do. But me, I just play my part. I'm never going to question what he needs to do in practices, what he needs to do in games."

            ''We had a great coaching staff, [San Antonio's] Gregg Popovich [to name one assistant]. We had personalities on the coaching staff that you could get along with, but it was hard to read [Karl] at times, what he wanted out of certain people.''

            Need more examples of Karl butting heads with star players? Look no further than tweets from his former players, who all indirectly reference their former coach as a snake:

WHEN THE GRASS IS CUT THE SNAKES WILL SHOW.

— Carmelo Anthony (@carmeloanthony) February 25, 2011

To many snakes in the grass got to get the lawn kut!

— JR Smith (@TheRealJRSmith) October 7, 2011

When the grass is cut...

— Andre Iguodala (@andre) May 15, 2014

            If Cousins is dealt Karl will face an even longer road to rebuild the Kings, a franchise that has not made the postseason since 2006. The Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, Denver Nuggets and Dallas Mavericks are licking their chops at Karl’s irrationality, while Cousins has taken to Twitter to express his emotions on his coach’s trade request—using a well-placed snake emoji:

🌾🐍🌾

— DeMarcus Cousins (@boogiecousins) June 23, 2015

Lance Stephenson Trade Opens the Door for Paul Pierce to Join Los Angeles Clippers

                Doc Rivers doesn’t foresee Lance Stephenson starting at small forward for the Los Angeles Clippers in 2015-16. Stephenson, acquired from the Charlotte Hornets on Monday in exchange for Spencer Hawes and Matt Barnes, is expected to serve as a role player, according to Rivers.

             “I like that [Stephenson] can play multiple positions -- really 2, 3 and 1 -- because he’s a terrific passer,” Rivers, the Clippers head coach and Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations, told The Beast 980 on Wednesday. “I don’t know if I made the trade for him to be a starter, per se, I look at him really more to be a utility player that can come in and play literally three different positions for us. When you look at us, we needed toughness and more athleticism and we get that.”

            Stephenson had a disastrous 2014-15 campaign after signing a 3-year, $24 million contract with Charlotte last offseason. He averaged just 8.5 points, 3.9 assists and 4.5 rebounds last season, shooting a dreadful 17.1 percent from three-point territory. Stephenson, who led the league in triple doubles in 2013-14, fizzled out in Charlotte, never fitting in with the team’s offense and even recording some DNPs at the tail end of his woeful season.

            Rivers believes Stephenson, who will be 25 years old by the start of next season, has the best chance to right the ship for his career in a backup role in Los Angeles. With Barnes dealt in the trade and Rivers declaring Stephenson a bench player, who will start at small forward for the Clippers?

            Paul Pierce’s name has been thrown around in the Clippers' rumor circles of late. The future first ballot Hall of Famer is coming off a strong postseason for the Washington Wizards, averaging 14.6 points on just 9.9 shots per contest. He led all players in three-point shooting, hitting an incredulous 52.4 percent of his jumpers from behind the arc. Overall, he shot 48.5 percent from the field and 85 percent from the free-throw line. Pierce hit seemingly every clutch shot he attempted for Washington, most notably his buzzer-beating, “I Called Game”, dagger against the Atlanta Hawks in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semi-finals.

            Pierce and Rivers won a championship together with the Boston Celtics in 2007-08 and were a game away from winning the title in 2009-2010. Pierce has a $5.5 million player-option for the upcoming season with the Wizards and has maintained his happiness in D.C. throughout the year.

            Rivers coached Pierce for nine seasons, but could he persuade the small forward—who grew up in Inglewood, Los Angeles—to bolt to the Clippers? Rivers will have to convince Pierce that the Clippers have a better chance at winning the championship than the Wizards. The Clippers have the better team, but the Wizards play in the much weaker Eastern Conference. A title seems like a longshot for either team, but the Clippers present more of an upside for the upcoming season.

Doc Rivers will be courting Paul Pierce this offseason. (Alex Brandon/AP)

              Last offseason, Rivers chose to sign Hawes over Pierce—a terrible decision by a highly respected coach who has had his share of struggles adjusting to the role of player operations. While Pierce is not the type to hold grudges, joining Los Angeles seems less likely now than it did a year ago. 

              A Boston reunion is not out of the question for Pierce either. He wanted to finish his career with the Celtics and was devastated when he was traded to the Brooklyn Nets two summers ago. Yet Pierce has continued to have a strong relationship with the city and its fans, and the team’s immense improvement from this past year—coupled with their ample cap space to sign 1-2 top-tier free agents—could lure him back to Boston, where he played the first 15 seasons of his storied career. 

Simple Truth: Pierce Most Clutch Player of Era

            The Washington Wizards were on the verge of an epic playoff collapse. The sold-out crowd at Verizon Center had gone silent after Atlanta Hawks backup center Mike Muscala hit a game-tying 3-pointer with 14.1 seconds to go. Muscala’s 3-pointer capped off a 25-5 Hawks run over seven minutes of play that included a stretch of 17 unanswered points. After watching his team squander a 21-point fourth quarter lead, Washington head coach Randy Wittman knew there was only one player that could save his team from an embarrassing meltdown. Naturally, Wittman drew up a play for Paul Pierce, who made a Hall of Fame career with the Boston Celtics hitting daggers and game-winners.

            On a pass from Bradley Beal, Pierce had the ball at the top of the key with point guard Dennis Schroder guarding him on a switch. With the smaller Schroder defending him, Pierce knew it was time to work his magic.

            Get out of the way.

            Those were the words Pierce shouted at Beal before the 37-year-old former NBA Finals MVP banked in a 21-foot fallaway jumper off the backboard as the buzzer sounded to give Washington a 103-101 victory. Pierce helped the Wizards—playing without their floor general and superstar point guard John Wall—avoid disaster to take a 2-1 series lead in the Eastern Conference semifinal series against the top-seeded Hawks.

            ESPN’s Chris Broussard got a hold of Pierce and asked the veteran, known as The Truth, whether he called “Bank!” on the game-winning shot.

            “I called game,” Pierce proclaimed before walking off the court.

            Washington fans have fallen in love with The Truth, who is still making big baskets in his 17^th year in the league. Pierce has now come up clutch in bigtime fashion in three of the Wizards’ six wins this postseason. In Game 1 of the first-round series against the Toronto Raptors, Pierce bailed his team out—who choked a big lead in that game too—by hitting a back-breaking 3-pointer in overtime before sealing the victory with a pair of free throws. He finished with a game-high 20 points on an efficient 7-of-10 shooting from the field.

            Game 3 of the Wizards-Raptors series saw Pierce score eight points in the final two minutes, including two gut-wrenching 3-pointers that helped the Wizards win their third straight playoff game in an eventual sweep over Toronto.

            Pierce’s dagger on Saturday was even more clutch. Not only was it a buzzer-beater, it was also a shot that saved the game for a team that had collapsed in the final frame. Had the Wizards lost Game 3 they likely would have lost the series. Blowing a huge lead in a postseason game and still managing to win the series is extremely hard. Devoid of its best player in Wall—sitting out due to a wrist injury suffered in the opening game of the series—it’s difficult to imagine Washington recovering from a loss like this. But Pierce refused to let Atlanta grab the series lead, potentially saving the Wizards’ season.

            Saturday’s buzzer put Pierce in rare company among players in the past decade:

Over the last 10 years, the only players with more than 1 game-winning buzzer-beater in the playoffs are LeBron James and Paul Pierce.

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 10, 2015

            (For those who forget, Pierce's other buzzer-beater came in Game 3 of the 2010 Eastern Conference quarterfinals against the Miami Heat)

            Another amazing stat:

Pierce has shot 8-for-12 (66.7%) in the 4th Quarter or overtime this postseason #TheTruth @WashWizards pic.twitter.com/3DfnmT20s1

— NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) May 10, 2015

            Pierce’s ability to thrive in the clutch this late in his career is truly incredible. As the best player on the Celtics for a decade and a half, Pierce was always the go-to-guy with the game on the line. But even as a glorified role player with the Brooklyn Nets and Wizards, he still is the most lethal man on the court with a chance to win the game.

            It’s fair to say that LeBron James is the best player of this era, Kobe Bryant is the best scorer of the era and Tim Duncan is the best power forward of the era (and of all-time). As for Pierce? He holds the distinction of the most clutch player of his era. Saturday's improbable buzzer-beater further solidified Pierce as the league’s deadliest player in the closing seconds of a game.

Paul Pierce raises arms in celebration as Bradley Beal and Will Bynum run over to congratulate the game's hero.
(Geoffe Burke/USA Today Sports)