Here's The Truth

USA Today

Basketball nearly died in Boston. And a Lakers fan from Inglewood saved its life.

Paul Pierce did not just prove that we can all better ourselves. He provided the answer to one of life’s most perplexing mysteries:

Are legends born or made?

Pierce’s legacy was forged over the course of 19 tumultuous years, 15 of which he played in Boston.

He did not receive a king’s welcome when he arrived. He was not anointed the savior of the franchise.

Celtics fans made their opinions loud and clear: Pierce is good, but he will never fill Larry Bird’s shoes.

Ironically, Pierce spent his youth rooting against Bird and the Celtics as a fan of Magic Johnson and Showtime.

Little did he know that he would spend his career trying to recreate that level of excellence those legendary eighties Celtics teams had once established.

Faced with unfair comparisons, annual trade rumors, and even a near-death experience in 2000 when he was stabbed 11 times outside of a Boston nightclub, Pierce battled endless adversity.

But through these tribulations, he developed as a player and a person. He recovered from the nightclub assault and played in all 82 games that season, demonstrating true grit and resolve.

As Pierce matured to become the Celtics’ top player and eventually team Captain, his courage and determination was increasingly evident.

Perhaps it was the pressure of carrying the NBA’s most historic team on his shoulders for nearly two decades that helped him transform from stone to diamond.

From selfish to leader. From talent to greatness. From doubt to Truth.

Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

The Celtics were a mediocre team in the nineties. The tragic and untimely death of Len Bias and Bird’s early retirement left them without a capable successor and the team quietly descended into irrelevance.

It was Pierce who led the charge in restoring the Celtics to prominence all while establishing himself as one of the most underrated All-Stars the league had ever seen.

When he brought home Banner 17, Pierce finally succeeded in capturing Boston's heart while exhibiting unconditional love and respect for a city that took too long to embrace him back.

Pierce was there for it all. He was there for the Antoine-Wiggle and for Ricky Davis.

He won a championship with Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett, but also played his heart out alongside Allan Ray and Kevinn Pinkney for the last-place Celtics just one year prior.

He even came within a Kendrick Perkins injury of winning a second championship in 2010.

And through these experiences, Pierce became the beloved face of the NBA’s most decorated franchise.

Growing up, I loved listening to my father's descriptions of great moments in Boston sports history. From “Havlicek stole the ball,” to Bobby Orr’s flying goal celebration, to Carlton Fisk waving his World Series home run into the left field foul pole.

Throughout these stories, one thing was always crystal clear: Boston is an amazing sports city where anything is possible.

And thanks to Pierce, an entire generation of Celtics fans has uniquely emotional sports memories to pass down to their children.

From the wheelchair game, to countless game-winning shots and unforgettable championship bouts against Kobe Bryant that revitalized one of the greatest rivalries in sports, Pierce proved to be the greatest clutch scorer Boston had ever seen.

Older fans will assure you that his accomplishments earned him a spot amongst the other Celtics heroes both in their minds and in the Garden rafters.

But for the fans who grew up with Pierce, his accomplishments will be forever celebrated when we tell our own kids that his raising of the championship MVP trophy as he screamed in exaltation was our proudest moment as Celtics fans.

After today, we will always look up and pay our respects to that #34 in the rafters. And someday we will tell our children just how lucky we were to see him play.

Legends are far from perfect.

They have scars and blemishes. They make mistakes. They fall down, but more importantly they get back up. And when faced with their greatest fears, they find strength in the fires of adversity.

If a kid from Inglewood can grow up to become the heart and soul of the Boston Celtics, then we can all learn to be a little bit better.

The Celtics Should Reunite the Big Three

Sometimes it is difficult to believe that the Big Three only won a single championship together in Boston. Those Celtics teams seemed far too complete and much too cohesive to only win one title.

Age and injuries contributed to their downfall. You can partially blame Danny Ainge, if you’d like.

Nevertheless, the prospect of reuniting Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to give the 2016-17 Boston Celtics one of the oldest, most experienced and most intriguing benches in the NBA is too magnificent not to romanticize.

The 41-year-old Allen reached out to the Celtics, Bucks and several other teams this week about a potential comeback. He said during an interview with the Hartford Courant, “It doesn’t necessarily have to be championship-or-bust for me to go back to the NBA.”

Meanwhile the 40-year-old Garnett needs just one more season under his belt to surpass Robert Parrish and Kevin Willis for longest career in NBA history. He is entering the final year of his contract in Minnesota, but close friend and former Timberwolves interim head coach Sam Mitchell says Garnett is leaning towards retirement because Mitchell was recently fired.

And, "The Truth" - Pierce turns 39 in October and is contemplating retirement after a rough year in Los Angeles. Whenever he is ready, he will retire as a member of the Celtics and someday his #34 will be enshrined in the Garden rafters amongst the other all-time Celtics greats.

But just imagine if Pierce’s second Celtics stint featured one more long playoff run alongside the same future Hall of Famers who once united to deliver Boston its only NBA title since 1986.

Wouldn’t that command your respect more than a one-day retirement contract?

Ainge has quietly returned the Celtics to prominence in the Eastern Conference by assembling a young, exciting and hardworking core under Brad Stevens. The acquisition of Al Horford may put the Celtics in position to face the Cavaliers in the Conference Finals next season.

Pierce, Garnett and Allen are in the final stage of their careers. They cannot be relied on for consistent minutes anymore, but their very presence would stimulate the team culture by instilling strong leadership tendencies and providing a vital veteran cognizance off the bench.

Despite their age, they will play well together in spurts against plenty of opposing bench units. More importantly, they will be invaluable teammates to the younger players thriving on their guidance during practices, games and especially during the postseason.

Amir Johnson is active and athletic, but how much better could he be with Garnett teaching him to harness his energy more efficiently?

How much could sharpshooters R.J. Hunter and James Young benefit from witnessing Allen’s intensive practice routine and flawless shooting form firsthand?

How high could Jaylen Brown’s ceiling be with Pierce as a mentor?

Reuniting the Big Three would require mild maneuvering. Fortunately, the Timberwolves are always hungry for young players and draft picks. Ainge could easily acquire the old brooding Garnett for some rookie reserves or future second-round picks.

Pierce will eventually return to Boston, but Ainge can make that happen sooner rather than later. Allen can sign pretty much anywhere, as most teams would be thrilled to acquire one of the world’s greatest shooters.

The Celtics roster has terrific depth with players like Brown, Marcus Smart, Terry Rozier, Jonas Jerebko and Gerald Green, but Ainge could still make just enough room on the bench for the reunion and farewell tour for the Big Three if they all put aside their past differences to seek out greatness one last time together.

Just picture Pierce, Garnett and Allen entering the game on the final possession, joining Horford and Isaiah Thomas.

Garnett sets the screen. Horford inbounds to Thomas. He drives. Defenders converge and he kicks the ball out to Allen, who dishes to Pierce.

Pierce launches up the contested jump shot…

Perhaps this is just a pipe dream. Maybe I am living in the past.

Or maybe, “Anything is possible.” 

Dear Kobe: A Letter From a Celtics Fan

Dear Kobe Bryant,

I hate you.

Can you blame me?  As a Celtics fan, I rooted against you for two decades.  I rejoiced in your agony when my Celtics beat you in the 2008 Finals.  Paul Pierce deserved it way more than you did.  You already had three rings at the time.

But three just wasn’t enough for you.  You got your revenge and ultimately your fifth ring in 2010 while ripping my heart out in the process.  I hope you still know how lucky you are that Kendrick Perkins was out for Game 7.

I read your letter in the Players' Tribune today and was shocked.  Not because you announced your retirement – we all already knew that.  I was shocked because of the way your letter made me feel. 

In my mind, I have always grouped you and Derek Jeter together.  You are the players that we as Boston fans bitterly hate, but cannot help but respect.  You played the game the right way – with passion, pride, and professionalism. 

You were true students of the game who pursued greatness by working harder than anybody.   You became generational icons of your respective sports.  You embraced every challenge.  You gave it your all. You put your bodies on the line.  You knew how to win.  You respected your sport, your craft, and your rivalry with Boston.

December 30 marks the last time that you will play in Boston.  This is also the last opportunity for us Celtics fans to cheer our team to victory against arguably the most dominant player in the storied history of the Celtics and Lakers.  

As you go, so goes what is left of the rivalry that once dominated the NBA.  Perhaps someday it will be rekindled by new faces.  Perhaps not.

So when you come to the Garden next month, I hope the crowd puts you through hell.  I hope we heckle you and boo you more emphatically than we did in the championship bouts.  I hope you miss every single free throw.  I hope you never forget what it’s like to be surrounded by 17,000 screaming fans who bleed green and would give anything to watch you fail one last time. 

I hope we beat LA once again.  And when you get pulled from the lineup halfway through the fourth quarter when my Celtics are up by 20 points, I think something beautiful will happen. 

Every single person in the Garden will stop booing.  We will rise to our feet and show respect in the form of the loudest, most passionate standing ovation you have ever witnessed.  We will chant your name.  We will wipe our eyes.  We will say our bittersweet farewells.

They say you never truly know what you got 'til it’s gone.  So before you go, I just want to say thank you for being far more than just a great basketball player.  To an entire generation of NBA fans, you are basketball. 

I can’t believe I’m saying this… but I’m really going to miss you.

Love (and hate) you always,

A Celtics fan who didn’t appreciate you enough