Glossy finish on Pierce

The emergence of the new Big Three, however, catapulted Pierce into a place among the Celtic greats, and the 2008 title cemented that. So when he decided to opt out of the final year of his contract — worth $20.8 million — there was a tinge of uncertainty and uneasiness among Celtics fans, who pondered the possibility of the franchise’s longest-tenured player leaving.

What those fans should have realized was that Pierce was not seeking a huge payday. He wanted the security of a long-term contract, the confirmation that he would finish his career as a Celtic, sealing his place as one of their all-time greats.

Yesterday was Pierce’s 33d birthday, and he is just 111 points away from the 20,000-point mark. Age, experience, and a painful growth process have allowed Pierce to reflect with a gratitude not seen in his early years.

“I came this close to photo-shopping myself in another jersey, but I didn’t,’’ Pierce said. “I signed to help with cap flexibility and also a longer deal so that I could hopefully retire a Celtic.

“And I probably wouldn’t be ending my career as a Celtic if I had to go through [rebuilding] again, so I am glad things went the way they did.’’

Diamond in the rough

Pierce arrived in Boston angry that, despite being an All-American at Kansas, he fell to 10th in the 1998 NBA draft, selected after Michael Olowokandi, Raef LaFrentz, Robert Traylor, and Larry Hughes. He had a large chip on his shoulder, and joined a team that was mired in the infamous Rick Pitino era.

Pitino, a brilliant college coach, was assigned the task of rebuilding the Celtics after the original Big Three retired. He was supposed to retool through the draft but missed badly with Ron Mercer at No. 6 overall in 1997 and unwisely traded Chauncey Billups in February 1998 after just 51 games. Pierce and Antoine Walker were left to lead the franchise out of the darkness.