Honorable Mentions
In a Hall of Fame career spanning 19 seasons, narrowing the list down to 10 moments was an impossible task. Some tough cuts had to be made, but we couldn’t just let these gems slip under the radar either.
In perhaps his best highlight during an otherwise forgettable season with the Brooklyn Nets, Pierce’s veteran experience helped his team pull off the first round playoff upset over the 3-seeded Toronto Raptors, with his block in the waning seconds of Game 7 securing the victory:
We’d also be remiss in failing to mention Pierce joining Larry Bird (1986-88) as the only Celtics to ever win the Three-Point Contest at NBA All-Star Weekend.
In that 2010 All-Star shootout, Pierce posted 17 in the first round and capped off the final round in typically clutch fashion, posting the winning score of 20 while making every money ball.
In his best season (2005-06), Pierce averaged a career-high 26.8 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game. During a 14-game stretch from Feb. 4-Mar. 12, he scored 30 points in 13 games — the best such stretch in franchise history.
That stretch also included back-to-back buzzer-beating game-winners against Washington and Philadelphia.
Finally, we can’t ignore how Pierce was stabbed 11 times in the face, neck and back in September of 2000. He needed lung surgery after the incident, putting his life and his NBA career in serious jeopardy.
And yet, Pierce played all 82 games in that 2000-01 season. He even dropped a 28-6-5 stat line in his first game back — a 20-point win over the Detroit Pistons — less than two months after the stabbing.
Remember when Paul Pierce got stabbed 11 times in the face, neck, and back one month before the season and still played all 82 games? pic.twitter.com/Yynuph0j6i
— Matt Ravis (@mattravis) April 30, 2017
Even that early in his career, Pierce’s love for the game and his competitive fire were clearly on display.