Boston Celtics: 3 greatest games of Paul Pierce’s career in green

NEW YORK, NY - MAY 01: Paul Pierce
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 01: Paul Pierce /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 4
Next
BOSTON, MA – JANUARY 4: Paul Pierce
BOSTON, MA – JANUARY 4: Paul Pierce /

Game 1 – 2008 NBA Finals vs. Los Angeles Lakers 

The Boston Celtics may not have won the 2008 NBA Finals if it wasn’t for a gutsy Game 1 performance by Paul Pierce.

The captain went down with what looked like a nasty knee injury early in the game.  He left in a wheelchair and things looked very bleak for the Celtics and their home crowd.

But, in a showmanship of toughness, Pierce made a triumphant return to the game.  With the crowd electrified, Pierce scored 11 of his 22 points, including back-to-back 3’s to help the Celtics pull away from Kobe Bryant and the Lakers.

Boston went on to win the series and Pierce earned Finals MVP.  During that particular playoff run, he really showed how dedicated he was to bring an NBA championship to the city of Boston.

Next: Boston Celtics: Hall-of-Fame coach says rookie Semi Ojeleye is NBA ready

The three games I highlighted in this article were just three of many clutch performances by the product out of Kansas.  What these games encompassed, was a man born to compete and a man who never backed down from a big moment.

Those qualities are what we will remember most about Paul Pierce.