It took 10 years of persistence but Paul Pierce has finally done what it takes to deserve being mentioned among the greatest players in the history of the Boston Celtics — win an NBA title.
“In order to be a legend, you have to win a championship,” Pierce said.
Pierce captured his crown in spectacular fashion, averaging 21.8 points and 6.3 assists during the Celtics’ NBA Finals championship run that ended on Tuesday with a devastating 131-92 rout of the arch-rival Los Angeles Lakers.
Now Pierce’s jersey number, 34, will someday join those retired numbers honored with banners hanging from the rafters of the Boston Garden.
“I’m not living under the shadows of the other greats now. I’m able to make my own history,” Pierce said. “If I was going to be one of the best Celtics that ever played, I had to put up a banner and today we did that.”
Pierce was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player from Boston’s first title team since 1986 thanks in part to the defensive work he did in containing the regular season NBA Most Valuable Player, Lakers’ superstar Kobe Bryant.
“I think Paul was only viewed as a scorer and now I think people see him as a complete basketball player,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “He did it all.”
Second only to Larry Bird among Celtics’ players in scoring average, Pierce struggled as a star on a weak team for nine years until Boston added Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen for this season.
Boston made the greatest one-season turnaround in NBA history, leaping from the second-worst record in the NBA last season to a championship.
“It feels so great,” Pierce said. “I worked so hard, 10 long years with the Boston Celtics, going through my ups and downs. This is what makes those other things so sweet, knowing you were at rock bottom a year ago.
“To climb all the way back to the top, this is a dream come true and I’m going to cherish this one forever. It means everything.”
Pierce, selected 10th overall by Boston in the 1998 NBA Draft, showed his determination in September of 2000 after he was stabbed nearly a dozen times at a Boston nightclub.
After lung surgery and serious stab wounds to his neck and face and back, Pierce played every game for the Celtics in the following season.
“You tend to forget about injuries when you’re on that court playing for something special,” Pierce said.
Taiwan kept their hopes of advancing to next year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Saturday, backed by solid pitching. Taiwan last night played against Nicaragua. As of press time, Nicaragua was leading 6-0. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan on Saturday kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen struck out one and allowed no hits, except for a hit-by-pitch over
Team Taiwan are set to face Spain in a win-or-go-home match tonight for the final berth at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), despite losing to Nicaragua 6-0 in the WBC qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Sunday. The home team’s loss on Sunday means Nicaragua finish first in the qualifier round in Taipei with a perfect 3-0 record and advances to next year’s finals. After crushing South Africa 9-1 earlier on Sunday, Spain took second place in the four-team qualifier with a 2-1 record. With a 1-2 record, Taiwan finished third while South Africa placed at the bottom with
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) is considering reducing its pitch clock by two seconds to help players better adjust to the rules applied at the World Baseball Classic (WBC). The proposal aims to shorten the pitch timer from 25 seconds to 23 seconds with the bases empty, and from 20 seconds to 18 seconds with runners on base. Currently, the WBC mandates that pitchers deliver a pitch every 18 seconds with the bases empty and 15 seconds with runners on base. The issue was raised during a pre-season CPBL managers’ meeting on Tuesday by Rakuten Monkeys bench and batting
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