Small wonder Pierce cried. And cried. Then cried some more. He cried me a Doc Rivers.
It was relief and recognition for the captain. After 10 years, 732 games, 16,945 points, and 1 playoff MVP award, Pierce finally joined the club. He was allowed to pass through the green gates of Celtic Heaven.
His résumé was incomplete until the championship was won. Sure, Pierce ranked in the franchise's top 10 in games, minutes, field goals made, shots attempted, free throws made, points, and assists. His 23.1-points-per-game average put him second all time behind Larry Bird.
But he was never in the discussion of All-Time Celtic Greats because there was not enough winning and there were too many bonehead moves. Pierce was often immature. He lost his composure. He sometimes put self ahead of team. There was the weird night he put the bandage on his head in Indiana. There was the unfortunate quote about being a great player on a bad team. There was the rift with Rivers and obvious pout. There was the diss by international basketball and his well-earned reputation as a spoiled scorer. Even at the beginning of the 2008 playoffs, the old stuff dogged Pierce when he was fined for flashing a gang sign.
It all went away in the Finals. Pierce did what Russell and Bird and Hondo and the Cooz did. He willed his team to a championship. He was the best player on the court in a series that included Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett. He played ferocious defense. He won a championship, and when he said he was the best player in the world, nobody blinked.
So now he's in the discussion. Best Celtics Starting Five of All Time. Top Celtics team of all time. It's a popular parlor game whenever two or more Celtics fans gather around a table of green beer. The estimable Bob Ryan (wish he wasn't so shy on TV) remembers conducting a Globe reader poll on the subject in 1973 when Larry Siegfried was part of the discussion.
