Paul Pierce – 20,000 Point Man

Tonight while hitting 11-11 free throws and icing the game at the stripe for the Cs in overtime, Paul “The Truth” Pierce scored his 20,000th point as a Celtic. Only two other Celtics have ever managed that feat while wearing the green, Larry “Legend” Bird and John “Hondo” Havlicek. Vaunted company. Easily the best all-time small forward rotation of any NBA franchise.

The Champ is here!

It was great to see Pierce get the milestone on the parquet, where the home crowd gave him a huge ovation and an M-V-P chant. The relationship between Pierce and the Boston faithful has been rocky at times, but he is officially a living Celtics legend at this point. The Finals MVP, the hunger to take over in big moments, the toughness and consistency, and the icy clutch performances have really embedded him the hearts of the fans. Of all the great players on the contending team today, Pierce, the reluctant leader, has become the true face of Celtic Pride.

Bill Russell once defined Celtic Pride:

Pride is faith, plus confidence. Is is about taking the responsibility that faces you, accepting what honor comes to you, and always working hard to prove how good you are.

Many Celtics fans never really thought Paul Pierce would get there. Wasn’t he the talented sidekick to Antoine Walker once upon a time? But nobody can doubt that PP put in the work and proved exactly how good he was. He moved beyond having confidence to inspiring confidence and gave the crowd 20,001 reasons to believe.

—-

Active Players with 20,000+ Points

Shaquille O’Neal
Kobe Bryant
Kevin Garnett
Dirk Nowitzki
Ray Allen
Tim Duncan
Paul Pierce