BOSTON — Paul Pierce’s entire legacy with the Boston Celtics is defined by emotions. The frustrations of losing early in his career, the celebrations of his big-game performances, the fear when everything was nearly taken away from him and the tears of joy that flowed after delivering Boston its 17th NBA title in 2008.
On Sunday, Pierce, who said last fall that he would retire following this season, plays his final game at TD Garden when the Los Angeles Clippers make their lone visit to Boston this season (ABC, 2 p.m.)
Emotions? Yeah, there will be plenty of those, even if Pierce isn’t certain exactly how they will manifest themselves.
“There’s no preparation for something like this,” Pierce said. “I can’t even picture it and how it’s going to be. I can’t even imagine how it’s going to be. I know it’s going to be emotional. I don’t know what kind of emotion is going to come out, whether it’s a smile or a tear or what. It’s something that you just can’t prepare for.
“My whole career basically in one building, 15 years, then to be able to come back here for one more time. You know, I always wished that I’d end my career playing as a Boston Celtic, but things sometimes they don’t turn out how you want them. But I’m happy with what I’ve been able to leave behind as a Boston Celtic. I’m happy that I know I gave my all to this city, not only on the court but off the court. … A lot of people look at me as one of their own in the city of Boston. It’s almost like I grew up here.”
Clippers coach Doc Rivers, who clashed with an often-bratty Pierce when they were first paired together in Boston, hinted there will likely be tears from Pierce, who struggled to keep it together when he and Kevin Garnett returned for the first time in a visitor’s uniform in 2014.
“Paul’s emotional anyway,” Rivers said. “We were born on the same day, and we have a lot of the same traits. Paul is very emotional. It’s funny — Paul has this poker face. Sometimes you can’t read his body language, but I can for sure. [Sunday] will be a big day for him.”
Even in announcing before the season that the 2016-17 campaign would be his last, Pierce had no desire for a Kobe Bryant-like farewell tour. There is just one date on this goodbye tour, a weekend celebration in the city that adopted him after Pierce slid to the Celtics at No. 10 in the 1998 draft.
Pierce will play his final game in Boston on the 18th anniversary of his NBA debut here. The lockout that year pushed the start of his rookie season into February. When told of the symmetry between his first and final game in Boston, Pierce smiled wide.
“See how things work?” Pierce said. “It’s unbelievable.”
The Clippers traveled to Boston two days before Sunday’s game in part so Pierce could savor the experience of returning home. He spent Saturday morning pingponging around the city, taking pictures at Boston landmarks. He posted some snapshots to his Instagram account.
Prudential building in the background
A photo posted by The Truth (@paulpierce) on Feb 4, 2017 at 9:10am PST
“Just kind of reminiscing this morning,” Pierce said before the Clippers’ off-day practice at Northeastern University’s Cabot Center. “I got a chance to ride around the city, went by Fenway, went to the [Longfellow] Bridge, took couple pictures at the Garden. So I’m just soaking it all in, man. Just enjoying the city, the city that I played in for 15 years. There’s so many memories, did so many things here. I’m just trying to enjoy it. I’m glad we got a chance to get out here a couple days early so I can do some of these things.”
Pierce’s return has left many Celtics fans reminiscing about his biggest moments in green. That 2001 game against the Lakers in which Shaquille O’Neal bestowed “The Truth” nickname upon him. The time he scored 46 points in the second half of an overtime win against the Nets a season later. There was Boston’s unexpected run to the conference finals in 2002 and his trash-talking jumper over Al Harrington in the playoffs in 2003.
In late September of 2000, Pierce was stabbed 11 times at a Boston nightclub. He recovered in time to be on the floor when the Celtics opened the regular season a little more than a month later. Pierce endured an 18-game losing streak during the 2006-07 season, but was rewarded when Boston utilized the assets it painstakingly accumulated to acquire Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett.
The Celtics embarked on a remarkable 2008 journey that culminated with beating the Lakers, the team that Pierce grew up supporting, for the team’s 17th title. Pierce will always wonder whether that group could have won more titles with better health, but Pierce’s MVP performance in the Finals cemented his legacy.
“We remember Paul because he was a great player and he won a title,” Rivers said. “I give him more credit for bucking the trend. He went through a lot of lean years, and I never once heard him say, ‘I want to leave.’ I never heard him say it. He just hung in there and kept wanting the team to get better. [Celtics GM] Danny [Ainge] and I spent a lot of time telling him what we wanted him to do. He exhibited a tremendous amount of patience.
“That’s what I always think about with Paul. In a time when guys want more winning, want more guys, want this, he wanted us to keep pushing and getting better and it turned out for him. We got Ray, Kevin, [Rajon] Rondo, the whole group, and we ended up winning a title. But for Kevin’s health, I don’t know how many times we may have won. Paul was a true Celtic and a true … my God, he just stuck it out.”
In the twilight of his career, Pierce’s biggest impact now comes away from the court as a veteran voice to a Clippers team with big aspirations. Pierce has played in just one game since Christmas, but Rivers promised he’ll see the court on Sunday, giving Boston fans one last chance to celebrate a player who ranks behind maybe only Bill Russell and Larry Bird among most beloved Celtics.
Pierce doesn’t know what he’ll do at TD Garden or how he’ll react to it all. He’s trying to simply savor the experience. He brought his wife, Julie, along for the visit because she understands all the highs and lows he experienced here. But she won’t be the only one to get a smooch on Sunday.
“I know one thing, I want to give Lucky [the Leprechaun logo] one last kiss,” Pierce said. “That’s one thing I know I want to do. I’ll probably go to half court and give Lucky one last kiss.”
Some Celtics fans still fantasize about bringing Pierce back to Boston to provide veteran leadership to a young Boston team looking to take the next step in its progression. It’s expected that Pierce will sign a one-day contract with Boston after the season and retire as a member of the Celtics. Doc Rivers and Danny Ainge had that plan in place even before Pierce decided to come back for one last season.
Pierce even left open the possibility of working for the Celtics’ front office in some capacity. Yes, that would mean getting used to Boston’s weather again after spending the past two seasons in the sunshine of his hometown in Los Angeles. But that didn’t seem to deter Pierce.
Boston, after all, is his other home.
“Kid from L.A., grew up walking distance from the Forum where a lot of the battles between the Lakers and the Celtics went on. Then, to not like the Celtics, then to play for the Celtics, then win a championship against the Lakers. I mean, it’s probably as ironic as you’re going to get as far as a career and the way it went down,” Pierce said. “It’s crazy how some things work in your life. When I get picked, the 10th pick by the Celtics, a team that I didn’t even have on my radar, you just knew it was for a reason. That’s something my family talked about on draft day. When I got picked, it was like, ‘You’re here for a reason.’
“Now I’m starting to like, as 19 years pass, I’m starting to figure out that reason why I got picked there.”
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