Paul Pierce

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This article is about the basketball player. For the football coach, see Paul Pierce (American football).
Paul Pierce
Paul Pierce.JPG
Pierce with the Celtics.
No. 34 – Boston Celtics
Small forward
Personal information
Born (1977-10-13) October 13, 1977 (age 35)
Oakland, California
Nationality American
Listed height 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight 235 lb (107 kg)
Career information
High school Inglewood
(Inglewood, California)
College Kansas (1995–1998)
NBA Draft 1998 / Round: 1 / Pick: 10th overall
Selected by the Boston Celtics
Pro career 1998–present
League NBA
Career history
1998–present Boston Celtics
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com

Paul Anthony Pierce (born October 13, 1977), nicknamed "The Truth",[1] is an American professional basketball forward with the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Pierce was a high school McDonald's All-American and earned First Team All-America honors in his junior year at Kansas. Pierce has been a starter every season since being selected by the Celtics with the 10th overall pick in the 1998 NBA Draft. He is a ten-time All-Star and four-time All-NBA team selection, and also led Boston to the NBA Finals in 2008 and 2010, winning the 2008 NBA Finals. He was named the 2008 NBA Finals MVP in his first trip to the NBA Finals. Pierce also is one of only three Celtics, alongside Larry Bird and John Havlicek, who have scored over 20,000 points in their career with the Celtics alone. He holds the Celtics' record for most three-point field goals made. He also ranks third in team history in games played, second in points scored, seventh in total rebounds, fifth in total assists, and first in total steals. His nickname "The Truth" was given to him by Shaquille O'Neal on March 15, 2001.

Contents

High school [edit]

Pierce was born and raised in Oakland, California. His family later moved to Inglewood, California where he was the star of Inglewood High School's basketball team during his junior and senior years. He also participated in the 1995 McDonald's All-American Game alongside future NBA stars Kevin Garnett, Vince Carter, Stephon Marbury, and Antawn Jamison, and was a contestant in the game's Slam Dunk Contest, which was won by Carter. He grew up a Los Angeles Lakers fan and dreamed of playing with the Lakers.[2]

On January 31, 2012, Pierce was honored as one of the 35 Greatest McDonald's All-Americans.[3]

College career [edit]

Pierce averaged 16.4 points and 6.3 rebounds per game in his three seasons at the University of Kansas, where he majored in Crime and Delinquency Studies, and earned MVP honors in the Big 12 Conference Tournament in both 1997 and 1998. Pierce played for Hall of Fame coach Roy Williams at Kansas. One of his teammates was future Orlando Magic coach Jacque Vaughn. He entered the NBA Draft after his junior year and was selected with the 10th overall pick in the first round of the 1998 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics.

NBA career [edit]

Boston Celtics (1998-present) [edit]

Early career [edit]

After his NBA debut, Pierce's ability to score, rebound and play defense, and a healthy dose of late-game heroics led to his emergence as a top player in the Eastern Conference. Along with forward Antoine Walker, Pierce led the Celtics to the playoffs in 2002 for the first time in seven years and on to the Eastern Conference Finals. In the historic Game 3 of that series, he led the Celtics to one of the biggest fourth-quarter comebacks in NBA playoff history. Pierce scored 19 of his 28 point total during the fourth quarter, and the Celtics recovered from a 21-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the New Jersey Nets.[4]

Paul Pierce during his 1999–2000 NBA season

Pierce has averaged 22.0 points per game over his 14-year NBA career and is a 10-time NBA All-Star. Trade rumors involving Pierce swirled when Danny Ainge returned as the Executive Director of Basketball Operations in May 2003. Ainge laid most of these rumors to rest in the 2006 off-season by signing Pierce to a 3-year, $59 million contract extension.[5] Pierce is the only player left from the moment Ainge took over.

Pierce has often played his best games against the best individual competition, such as LeBron James, Tracy McGrady, and Kobe Bryant. For instance, Pierce scored a career high 50 points in a loss against the Cleveland Cavaliers on February 15, 2006. After the game, James stated that he feels that Pierce is the top at the position in the Eastern Conference.[6]

Injury and missing playoffs [edit]

In the 2005-06 NBA season, Pierce had the highest points-per-shot average among the top 30 scorers in the league, indicating that he is an efficient and consistent player. On March 8, 2006, Pierce extended his franchise-record streak of 30-point games at 8. On March 7, he scored seven points in overtime to beat the Washington Wizards on a "buzzer beater",[7] and the next night the Celtics eked out a victory against Philadelphia on the strength of two late-game improbable shots by Pierce, one a three-pointer, the other an off-balance "buzzer beater" for the win. He scored at least 30 points for the 13th time in 14 games (between February 4 and March 12), the best such stretch in Celtics history.

He followed up this stellar season with an injury-riddled 2006–07 campaign that saw him miss the first significant stretch of games in his career, due to a stress reaction in his foot. In spite of this injury, he still managed to put up his usual stellar numbers in the 47 games in which he saw action. But the Celtics, during that season, would have an 18-game losing streak and one of the worst seasons in franchise history, going 24–58.[8][9]

NBA champion and Finals MVP [edit]

Pierce shoots a free throw in Game 4 of the 2008 NBA Playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks.

Prior to the 2007–08 season, he expressed great excitement at the Celtics' acquisitions of fellow All-Stars Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett, and at the chance to contend for a championship. He slimmed down to his college weight of 235 lb (107 kg; 16.8 st) and vowed to pay more attention to defense, as he would not have to carry the offense anymore.[10]

On April 28, 2008, Pierce was fined $25,000 by the NBA for an alleged menacing gesture after falling to the ground and being taunted by Al Horford in Game 3 of the first round in the 2008 Playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks on April 26, 2008.[11][12] Sources claimed this gesture was a gang-related hand sign, but Danny Ainge, general manager of the Celtics, stated that Pierce has been repeatedly doing it before and that it was not gang-related, but rather a symbol used within the team.[11] Pierce himself denied it, adding that his foundation was committed to helping urban youth keep away from gangs.[13][14]

Pierce at the championship parade of the 2008 NBA Champions Boston Celtics.

On May 18, 2008, Pierce recorded the second-highest point total in franchise history in a Game 7 with 41 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers,[15][16] as the Celtics advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals.[17] On June 5, 2008, in Game 1 of the 2008 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers, Pierce was injured in the third quarter and was carried off the court in serious pain.[18] However, he came back to the court only a few minutes later to spark the Celtics with 15 points in the third quarter en route to a 98–88 victory.[19][20] He went on to lead the Celtics to their 17th championship after defeating the Los Angeles Lakers four games to two. Pierce was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player after the Celtics' 131–92 victory in Game 6 on June 17, 2008.[21]

Not long after winning the championship, Pierce was asked, "Is Kobe [Bryant] really the best player in the world?" Pierce responded by saying, "I don't think Kobe is the best player. I'm the best player. There's a line that separates having confidence and being conceited. I don't cross that line but I have a lot of confidence in myself." The quote drew minor controversy.[22]

Chasing the second championship [edit]

Paul Pierce of the Boston Celtics being defended by LeBron James.

Pierce and the Celtics looked to repeat as world champions during the 2008-09 NBA season. Pierce missed only one game the entire season and led the team in scoring. He was named to the 2009 NBA All-Star Game and for the first time to the All-NBA Team Second Team. Despite Pierce's success, with Kevin Garnett hurt the Celtics lost in the second round of the 2009 NBA Playoffs.

At the 2010 NBA All-Star Game at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, Pierce became the first Celtic since Larry Bird to win the Three-Point Shootout.[23]

In game 3 of the first round between the Celtics and Miami Heat in the 2010 NBA Playoffs, Pierce hit a 21-foot jumper at the buzzer to beat Miami 100–98, and give the Celtics a 3–0 series lead.[24] The Celtics went on to win that series, and also defeated the heavily favored Cavaliers in the second round. They faced the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals, and beat them in 6 games to advance to their second Finals appearance in the Big 3 era. They faced off against the Lakers in a rematch of the 2008 NBA Finals, and took a 3-2 lead heading back to Los Angeles. However, in part due to the loss of injured center Kendrick Perkins, the Celtics were blown out in game 6 and lost a 13 point second half lead in game 7, losing the deciding game 83-79.

On June 29, 2010, Pierce opted out of his contract and triggered his early termination contract to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2010.[25] However, on July 2, Pierce and the Celtics verbally agreed to a four-year extension keeping him in Boston through the 2013–14 season.[26]

On November 3, 2010, during a game against the Milwaukee Bucks, Pierce scored his 20,000th career point on a free throw, becoming the third person in Celtics history to reach that milestone solely in a Celtics uniform.[27] The Celtics finished the season with the number 3 seed in the Eastern Conference and swept the New York Knicks in the first round of the playoffs. In the second round, the Celtics took on the Miami Heat and their big three of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh. The Celtics lost to Miami, who eventually moved on to the NBA Finals, in five games.

On February 7, 2012, during a game against the Charlotte Bobcats, Pierce scored fifteen points to pass Larry Bird for second place on the Boston Celtics' all-time scoring list. He was named to his tenth NBA All-Star appearance on February 9, 2012. He then played his 1,000th career game with the Celtics on March 9, 2012 against the Portland Trail Blazers, joining Havlicek and Robert Parish as the only Celtic players to play in over 1,000 career games. For the 2011-12 season Pierce averaged 19.4 points, 4.5 assists, and 5.2 rebounds per game as the Celtics finished the season 39-27.

In the playoffs, the Celtics would beat the Hawks in six games in the first round, as Pierce averaged 21.2 points per game during the series. In the conference semifinals the Celtics faced the Philadelphia 76ers led by Doug Collins. They pushed the Celtics into a full seven game series, but the Celtics won the final game 85-75. The Celtics then played the Miami Heat in the conference finals. Pierce hit a crucial 3-pointer over LeBron James in game 5 to take a series lead of 3-2, but the Celtics lost the last two games, and the Heat advanced to the NBA Finals.

The 2012-13 season did not go well as planned for Celtics. However the Celtics managed to clinch the 7th seed in the playoffs with a 41-40 season record (with one game not played because of the Boston Marathon bombings). The Celtics lost to the New York Knicks in the 1st round in six games. Pierce averaged 19.2 points per game in the playoff series loss.

Stabbing incident [edit]

On September 25, 2000, Pierce was stabbed 11 times in the face, neck, and back and had a bottle smashed over his head while at the Buzz Club, a late night dance club in the Boston Theater District. He had to undergo lung surgery to repair the damage.[28][29] Nevertheless, Pierce was the only Celtic to start all 82 games in the 2000–01 season. Also, witnesses say that Pierce was attempting to separate the fighters when he was stabbed.[30] Tony Battie, Pierce's teammate at the time, along with Battie’s brother, saved him by rushing him to a nearby hospital.

International [edit]

Pierce was a member of the US national team for the 2002 FIBA World Championship, starting all nine games and averaging 19.8 ppg. Pierce was also selected for the United States National Basketball team for the 2006 FIBA World Championship, but did not compete because of minor off-season surgery.

Nickname [edit]

His nickname, The Truth, was accorded to him by Shaquille O'Neal after a 112-107 Lakers' victory over the Celtics on March 13, 2001 in which Pierce scored 42 points on 13 of 19 shooting.[31] O'Neal pulled a Boston reporter over and gestured toward his notepad. "Take this down", said O'Neal. "My name is Shaquille O'Neal and Paul Pierce is the [expletive] truth. Quote me on that and don't take nothing out. I knew he could play, but I didn't know he could play like this. Paul Pierce is the truth."[32]

NBA career statistics [edit]

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
Correct as of 2012-13 season

Regular season [edit]

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1998–99 Boston 48 47 34.0 .439 .412 .713 6.4 2.4 1.7 1.0 16.5
1999–00 Boston 73 72 35.4 .442 .343 .798 5.4 3.0 2.1 .9 19.5
2000–01 Boston 82 82 38.0 .454 .383 .745 6.4 3.1 1.7 .8 25.3
2001–02 Boston 82 82 40.3 .442 .404 .809 6.9 3.2 1.9 1.0 26.1
2002–03 Boston 79 79 39.2 .416 .302 .802 7.3 4.4 1.8 .8 25.9
2003–04 Boston 80 80 38.7 .402 .299 .819 6.5 5.1 1.6 .6 23.0
2004–05 Boston 82 82 36.1 .455 .370 .822 6.6 4.2 1.6 .5 21.6
2005–06 Boston 79 79 39.0 .471 .354 .772 6.7 4.7 1.4 .4 26.8
2006–07 Boston 47 46 37.0 .439 .389 .796 5.9 4.1 1.0 .3 25.0
2007–08 Boston 80 80 35.9 .464 .392 .843 5.1 4.5 1.3 .4 19.6
2008–09 Boston 81 81 37.5 .457 .391 .830 5.6 3.6 1.0 .3 20.5
2009–10 Boston 71 71 34.0 .472 .414 .852 4.4 3.1 1.2 .4 18.3
2010–11 Boston 80 80 34.7 .497 .374 .860 5.4 3.3 1.0 .6 18.9
2011–12 Boston 61 61 34.0 .443 .366 .852 5.2 4.5 1.2 .4 19.4
2012–13 Boston 77 77 33.4 .436 .380 .787 6.3 4.8 1.1 .4 18.6
Career 1102 1099 36.6 .447 .370 .806 6.0 3.9 1.4 .6 21.8
All-Star 10 0 13.6 .456 .188 .727 2.6 1.8 1.2 .1 9.6

Playoffs [edit]

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2002 Boston 16 16 42.0 .403 .288 .764 8.6 4.1 1.7 1.2 24.6
2003 Boston 10 10 44.5 .399 .356 .863 9.0 6.7 2.1 .8 27.1
2004 Boston 4 4 40.5 .342 .294 .839 8.8 2.5 1.2 1.0 20.8
2005 Boston 7 7 39.6 .505 .259 .868 7.7 4.6 1.9 1.4 22.9
2008 Boston 26 26 38.1 .441 .361 .802 5.0 4.6 1.1 .3 19.7
2009 Boston 14 14 39.7 .430 .333 .842 5.8 3.1 1.1 .4 21.0
2010 Boston 24 24 38.8 .438 .392 .824 6.0 3.4 1.0 .6 18.8
2011 Boston 9 9 38.1 .459 .447 .882 5.0 2.8 1.3 .4 20.8
2012 Boston 20 20 38.9 .386 .310 .894 6.1 3.1 1.5 .9 18.9
2013 Boston 6 6 42.5 .368 .268 .897 5.7 5.3 .8 .5 19.2
Career 136 136 39.8 .419 .339 .834 6.4 4.0 1.3 .7 20.9

Career highlights [edit]

NBA [edit]

  • NBA Champion: 2008
  • NBA Finals MVP: 2008
  • All-NBA Second Team: 2009
  • 3-time All-NBA Third Team: 2002, 2003, 2008
  • 10-time NBA All-Star: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012
  • NBA All-Rookie First Team: 1999
  • NBA 3-Point Contest Winner: 2010
  • NBA regular-season leader, total points: 2002 (2144)
  • NBA regular-season leader, free throws made: 2003 (604)

College [edit]

  • Named First Team All-America by the Associated Press after his junior year at the University of Kansas.
  • Named Big Eight Freshman of the Year in 1995–96.
  • MVP of the Big 12 Conference Tournament in both 1997 and 1998.
  • Member of the All-Big 12 First Team in 1997–1998.

Other [edit]

Boston Celtics franchise records [edit]

  • Most points scored in a game at TD Banknorth Garden: 50 (February 15, 2006 vs. Cleveland Cavaliers).
  • Most points scored in a half (including Overtime): 46 (December 1, 2001 2nd Half vs. New Jersey Nets).
  • Most points scored in an overtime period: 13 (December 1, 2001 vs. New Jersey Nets)
  • Most three-point field goals made, career: 1578[34]
  • Most three-point field goals attempted, career: 4273[34]
  • Most free throws made, career: 5808[34]
  • Most free throws attempted, career: 7212[34]
  • Most free throws made in one game: 20 (November 2, 2002 vs. New York Knicks).
  • Most free throws attempted in one game: 24 (November 5, 2005 vs. New York Knicks).
  • Most free throws made in one half: 14 (March 2, 2001 vs. Utah Jazz).
  • Most free throws made in one season: 627 (2005–2006, breaking his own record of 604 set in 2002–2003).[35]
  • Most free throws attempted in one season: 812 (2005–2006, breaking his own record of 753 set in 2002–2003).[35]
  • Most steals in one game: 9 (tied with Larry Bird; December 3, 1999 vs. Miami Heat).
  • Most free throws made without a miss, playoffs: 21 (Game 1, 2003 Eastern Conference First Round).
  • Most points scored in one half, playoffs: 32 (Game 4, 2003 Eastern Conference First Round vs. Indiana Pacers).
  • Highest scoring average through one month: 33.5 PPG (February 2006).
  • Only Celtics player in franchise history to lead the NBA in total points scored in a season, scoring 2,144 points in 2001–2002.
  • Currently is the Celtics' second all time leading scorer, behind only John Havlicek. He also ranks second in team history in career scoring average, behind Larry Bird.[34]

Triple-doubles [edit]

Number Date Opponent Box Score Points Rebounds Assists Steals Blocks Notes
1 02003-01-26January 26, 2003 Orlando Magic W 91–83
Recap		 27 13 13 3 0
2 02003-05-07May 7, 2003 New Jersey Nets L 104–95
Boxscore		 32 10 11 2 1 - Game 2 (East 1st round) of the NBA 2003 Playoffs.
3 02003-11-28November 28, 2003 Milwaukee Bucks W 106–96
Boxscore		 26 10 10 1 0
4 02005-01-03January 3, 2005 New Orleans Hornets W 108–90
Recap		 19 10 10 1 2
5 02005-02-02February 2, 2005 New Jersey Nets W 110–89
Recap		 28 10 10 4 1
6 02006-03-08March 8, 2006 Philadelphia 76ers W 104–101
Recap		 31 12 10 0 3
7 02010-12-19December 19, 2010 Indiana Pacers W 99–88
Recap		 18 10 12 4 1
8 02013-01-27January 27, 2013 Miami Heat W 100–98 (2 OT)
Recap		 17 13 10 1 1 - Return of Ray Allen to the TD Garden since leaving the Celtics after 5 seasons and a NBA championship.
9 02013-02-10February 10, 2013 Denver Nuggets W 118–114 (3 OT)
Recap		 27 14 14 0 0 - Pierce nails a contested and clutch 3-pointer with 5.2 seconds to go in double OT to send the game to triple OT and eventually to a Boston victory;

- Boston snaps a Denver 9-game win streak while going to a 7-game win streak of its own.
10 02013-03-29March 29, 2013 Atlanta Hawks W 118–107
Recap		 20 10 10 1 1

See also [edit]

Notes [edit]

  1. ^ Pierce stars in his moment of Truth – The Boston Globe
  2. ^ Kamenetzky, Brian (June 2, 2010). "Boston Celtics Paul Pierce talks about Los Angeles Lakers fans - ESPN Los Angeles". ESPN. Retrieved 23 December 2011. 
  3. ^ "Wilkins Honored as One of 35 Greatest McDonald's All Americans". NBA. 2012-01-31. Retrieved 2012-02-09. 
  4. ^ "CNNSI.com – 2002 NBA Playoffs – Celtics pull off biggest comeback ever – Saturday May 25, 2002 09:53 PM". Sportsillustrated.cnn.com. Retrieved 2008-11-11. 
  5. ^ [1][dead link]
  6. ^ "NBA.com James' Triple-Double Upstages Pierce's 50". Nba.com. Retrieved 2008-11-11. 
  7. ^ Mar 8, 12:03 am EST. "Celtics 116, Wizards 115, OT – NBA – Yahoo! Sports". Sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2008-11-11. 
  8. ^ "Celtics Snap 18-Game Losing Streak to Spurs". nba.com- Elizabeth White, Associated Press Writer. Retrieved May 16, 2010. 
  9. ^ "Top Ten Worst to First Sports Teams". ballgametravel.com- Kurt Schrader. Retrieved May 16, 2010. 
  10. ^ Bethlehem Shoals, A Thinner, Happier, More Defensive Paul Pierce, AOL Sports, August 14, 2008.
  11. ^ a b Court gesture no joke: League hands fine to Paul Pierce, Boston Herald, April 29, 2008.
  12. ^ Marc J. Spears, Pierce fined $25,000, The Boston Globe, April 28, 2008.
  13. ^ Pierce responds, Boston Herald, April 30, 2008.
  14. ^ Celtics' Pierce denies gesture was gang-related, Associated Press, April 30, 2008.
  15. ^ Celtics Top Game 7 Scoring Performances, NBA.com, May 18, 2008.
  16. ^ Pierce, James duke it out as Celtics close out Cavs in Game 7, Associated Press, May 18, 2008.
  17. ^ Peter F. Stringer, Pierce-James Duel Makes Game 7 an Instant Classic, Celtics.com, May 18, 2008.
  18. ^ Mark Murphy, Injured Paul Pierce keys Game 1 win, Boston Herald, June 6, 2008.
  19. ^ Couper Moorhead, Showing Heart, Pierce Recovers from Wounded Knee To Bury Lakers, Celtics.com, June 6, 2008.
  20. ^ Michael Vega, Pierce felt pain, hurt Lakers, The Boston Globe, June 6, 2008.
  21. ^ Pierce wins MVP and big three take care of business in Finals, Associated Press, June 18, 2008.
  22. ^ "Paul Pierce says he's the best player in the world". sports.yahoo.com-J.E. Skeets. Retrieved May 16, 2010. 
  23. ^ "Clutch shooting in finals leads Pierce to Three-Point win". nba.com-Scott Howard-Cooper. Retrieved May 16, 2010. 
  24. ^ "After Game 3 drama, Celtics 1 win from a sweep". sports.yahoo.com-TIM REYNOLDS. Retrieved May 16, 2010. 
  25. ^ [2]
  26. ^ "Reports: Pierce agrees to 4-year deal". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 2, 2010. 
  27. ^ Pierce score 20,000th point in overtime win, theglobalmail.com November 4, 2010, accessed November 4, 2010.
  28. ^ "ESPN.com – NBA – Two suspects arraigned". static.espn.go.com. Retrieved 2008-11-11. 
  29. ^ Lena Williams (Published: September 26, 2000). "PRO BASKETBALL; Nightclub Incident Leaves Celtic Recovering From Stab Wounds – New York Times". Query.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2008-11-11. 
  30. ^ "Celtics Star Paul Pierce Fights Back On ''BEYOND THE GLORY'' | Celtics.com". Nba.com. Retrieved 2008-11-11. 
  31. ^ "Boston Celtics at Los Angeles Lakers Bos Score, March 13, 2001". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2 June 2012. 
  32. ^ Daily Dime: Pierce elevates his game for the Lakers, ESPN.com, June 2, 2008.
  33. ^ 2002 USA Basketball
  34. ^ a b c d e "Boston Celtics Career Leaders". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved 24 June 2011. 
  35. ^ a b "Boston Celtics Season Leaders". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved 24 June 2011. 

External links [edit]

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