BOSTON – Paul Pierce signed a contract with the Boston Celtics on July 17 so
that he could retire as a member of the franchise with which he spent his first
15 NBA seasons.
Shortly after penning the paperwork, the 10-time All-Star suited up in his old
Celtics gear and hit the hardwood one last time. He hit a few jumpers on the
team’s practice court in Waltham and even threw down a dunk as he soaked in the
finality of his NBA career.
It marked one last iconic moment for the greatest Celtic of this generation.
In Truth, Pierce has produced hundreds of memorable moments over the last two
decades, which makes it difficult to narrow down the most epic ones of them all.
We’ve done our best to single out the top five…
Honorable Mention – Silencing Harrington
There haven’t been many players in the history of the league who have exuded
more confidence than Paul Pierce. That confidence was often displayed in the
form of trash talk, and he was almost always able to back it up with his play on
the court.
Pierce’s most legendary trash-talking moment came during the first-round of the
2002-03 Playoffs against the Indiana Pacers. The sixth-seeded C’s were the
underdog of the series, but had managed to gain a 2-1 advantage over the
third-seeded Pacers. Game 4 was tied 62-62 during the third quarter, but Boston
went on a 15-2 run to close out the frame, with Pierce scoring all 15 points.
The final three points of the run were three of the most memorable points of
Pierce’s career. With the clock winding down in the quarter, he dribbled to the
top of the arc while glaring at his opponent, Al Harrington. The pair went
face-to-face and engaged in a heated back-and-forth verbal battle, all while the
seconds continued to tick away.
Harrington got in a low stance and planted his hands on his thighs, daring
Pierce to come at him. Pierce accepted the challenge as he shuffled four steps
to the left, took one step forward, then one step back and buried an off-balance
fadeaway from about 27 feet out. Harrington defended the shot as perfectly as
possible, but Pierce was invincible at this moment in time; nothing could’ve
stopped that shot from falling through the net.
Pierce went on to score 37 points, to go along with 10 rebounds and seven
assists, as the Celtics knocked off the Pacers 102-92 and took a 3-1 series
lead. Boston would end up eliminating Indy in six games, and Pierce’s
trash-talking dagger was undoubtedly the key moment in the series. The play
perfectly embodied the extreme confidence and the swagger that The Truth
emanated throughout his career.
5. The Last Shot
Feb. 5, 2017 is a date that will forever hold a special place in the hearts of
Boston fans. Not only was it the day that the New England Patriots completed
their historic, title-winning comeback over the Atlanta Falcons; it was also the
day that Paul Pierce gave his dramatic farewell to Celtics Nation.
Pierce entered the afternoon having not appeared in a game since New Year’s Eve,
but LA Clippers head coach Doc Rivers inserted him into starting lineup so that
the soon-to-be-retired legend could be introduced one more time in front of
Celtics Nation.
Pierce played the opening five minutes of the first quarter and shot 0-for-1
during that span before Rivers subbed him out of the game for what appeared to
be the final time. However, the fans inside TD Garden chanted Pierce’s name
relentlessly throughout the remainder of the contest, and finally Rivers gave
in.
With 19 seconds left in the game and the Clippers trailing 106-99, Rivers
motioned Pierce over the scorers’ table. When he checked in he was met with a
roaring ovation, and he responded with a shot for the ages.
Fans stood on their feet as Rivers’ son Austin dribbled up the floor; they all
knew he would dish it off to Pierce once he reached center court. Sure enough,
Pierce was fed the ball at the top of the arc. He then turned, stepped into his
shot and pulled the trigger.
It’s worth noting that Pierce had never gone scoreless at TD Garden, and he
wasn’t about to let that change in his final game.
The high-arcing shot fell through the net, which prompted Celtics fans inside TD
Garden to erupt into pandemonium. Pierce backpedaled, while smiling with his arm
raised in the air in one final salute to his faithful fans.
The roaring applause continued well after the final buzzer as Pierce took his
time leaving the parquet floor for the last time.
4. The Historic Comeback
Pierce, like any NBA player, occasionally suffered a shooting slump. What set
him apart from others was his ability to snap out of a cold spell mid-game and
catch fire.
Game 3 of the 2002 Eastern Conference Finals was the perfect example of that.
Pierce missed 12 of his first 14 shots during Boston’s series-tiebreaking
matchup with the New Jersey Nets. The entire Celtics squad was struggling, as it
trailed by as many 26 points during the third quarter and entered the fourth
frame down 74-53.
It seemed like an impossible deficit to overcome – in fact, no team in
postseason history had ever come back from a 21-point fourth-quarter
disadvantage. Up until this point, playoff teams were 171-0 when heading into
the final frame with a lead of 19 points or more.
Boston, under the leadership of its captain, was about to change that.
Pierce opened up the fourth quarter with a baseline, driving layup and never
looked back. He went on a tear, scoring 19 points during the final frame on
6-of-7 shooting from the field. His point total during the quarter eclipsed the
point total of the entire Nets team, as the Celtics outscored them 41-16 during
the final 12 minutes en route to an improbable 94-90 win.
The Celtics took a 2-1 lead in the series, but never won again after that.
Regardless, the historic performance will still go down as one of Pierce’s most
memorable efforts of all time.
3. The Truth Takes Down The King
Of the 126 Game 7s that have taken place in NBA history, none have featured an
individual battle quite like the 2008 Eastern Conference Semifinals showdown
between Paul Pierce and LeBron James.
With a trip to the conference finals on the line, it was anticipated that the
rival superstars would bring their A-Game to the series finale. And boy, did
they, as Pierce and James traded bucket after bucket to combine for 86 points.
The Cavaliers, who trailed by 10 at halftime pulled within three points during
the closing minutes of the game, thanks to James’ 45-point effort. Pierce,
however, had more ice in his veins, and the Celtics let him take over to close
out the game.
In Kevin Garnett’s words, “It was get Paul Pierce the ball and get the hell out
of the way.”
Pierce hit 13 shots on 23 attempts from the field, but his biggest make came
during the closing seconds of the game from the free throw line.
The Celtics were up 95-92 with 7.9 seconds remaining when their captain was
intentionally fouled. His first attempt clanked off the back of the rim and
caromed straight up in air, allowing Cleveland’s hopes to remain alive; however,
the ball miraculously made it through the hoop on its way down, causing Pierce
to laugh in disbelief.
That shot helped seal a 97-92 win and a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals.
It also gave Pierce a personal win in the greatest individual showdown of his
career, and arguably the greatest one-on-one battle in Game 7 history.
2. The Wheelchair Game
Boston’s 2008 NBA title dreams were nearly crushed during Game 1 of the Finals
against the Los Angeles Lakers when Pierce suffered what appeared to be a severe
leg injury.
Pierce collapsed to the parquet floor with 6:49 left in the third quarter after
trying to defend a Kobe Bryant drive. He rolled around under the basket,
clutching his right knee in agony for several moments before Boston’s medical
staff surrounded him.
Pierce was unable to put any weight on the leg, so Tony Allen, Brian Scalabrine
and team doctor Brian McKeon carried him off the court, placed him in a
wheelchair and wheeled him to the locker room.
The energy at TD Garden immediately dulled as the Celtics were tasked with
overcoming a four-point deficit without their captain. Boston’s title hopes hung
in the balance as fans feared for the worst.
It didn’t take long for that to change.
Just a few minutes after the injury, Pierce half-jogged, half limped his way out
of the tunnel to an outstanding ovation from Celtics Nation. He returned to the
floor at the 5:03 mark of the third quarter – less than two minutes after his
scary fall took place – and immediately made an impact.
With the Celtics trailing 71-69, Pierce hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give them
a four-point lead. Those two shots sent the Boston crowd into a frenzy, and
their energy allowed the C’s to head into the fourth quarter with momentum.
Pierce went on to score five more points during the fourth quarter, and helped
pave the way to a 98-88 Game 1 win. His resilience was the driving force for the
victory, and it ended up being a major spark on Boston’s title run.
1. Bringing Banner 17 to Boston
Through his first nine seasons in Boston, Pierce had all the makings of becoming
a Celtics Legend. But one thing was missing that all of the greats before him
had attained: An NBA title.
Following the 2006-07 season, when the team went 24-58 it appeared that Pierce
was far from reaching his title dreams. However, the team made a massive splash
during the ensuing offseason by acquiring Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. With
those two future hall-of-famers at Pierce’s side, the Celtics were immediately
thrust into the conversation for championship contention.
The Big 3 of Pierce, Garnett and Allen helped guide the 2007-08 Celtics to 66-16
regular season record, which marked the biggest single-season turnaround in NBA
history. They then grinded through two seven-game series in the first and second
round of the Playoffs, followed by a six-game conference finals series with
Detroit, before finally meeting their archrival Los Angels Lakers in the Finals.
The Celtics took a 3-2 series lead and then proceeded to annihilate the Lakers,
131-92, in a title-clinching, Game 6 victory, which marked the franchise’s 17th
NBA championship. Pierce tallied a double-double with 17 points and 10 assists
on the night, and finished the series with an average of 21.8 points and 6.3
assists per game.
After the final whistle blew, Pierce was handed the Finals MVP trophy, joining
Havlicek, Jo Jo White, Cedric Maxwell and Larry Bird as the only Celtics to
receive the honor. He pumped the trophy high in the air as he solidified his
claim as a Celtics Legend.
Player: Paul Pierce
Media Content:
http://www.nba.com/celtics/news/sidebar/misc-073117-top-5-paul-pierce-moments
Media Keywords: NBA, Sports, Boston Celtics, Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics
Media Thumbnail:
http://i.cdn.turner.com/drp/nba/celtics/sites/default/files/piercebanner.jpg
Taxonomy: paul pierce, Sidebar, Summer, offseason
Story Link:
http://www.nba.com/celtics/news/sidebar/misc-073117-top-5-paul-pierce-moments
