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Datruth345 wrote:i feel like a proud father watching Paul Pierce this season.

djsunyc wrote:this is kg's and ray's influence on pierce. young grasshopper has learned well...

celticfan42487 wrote:-= original quote snipped =-



**** YOU

MyInsatiableOne wrote:-= original quote snipped =-

celtics543 wrote:I was only 10 when he was drafted, so I wasn't much into the whole in-depth analyzing and had no idea how lucky we had gotten. It has been a joy to watch Paul mature over the last ten years. When he got hurt in game one, and I thought he might be done for the series, I started to reflect on all the great games he's had in Boston, that I have had the opportunity to watch over the years.

In no particular order, there was the game against the Nets in the regular season where he dropped 46 points in the second half. There was the regular season game against the Lakers in the Kobe/Shaq era where Paul and "Toine led the celts to a win, where Shaq coined the nickname, "The Truth". Then there was the comeback against the Nets. After that there were some lean years where he put up great stats but the team wasn't doing well overall and Antoine got traded. I remember seeing Paul struggle to be a leader and listening to Tommy and Mike talk about how he was reading leadership books and really trying hard to be the teams leader now that Antoine was gone. I remember how he was failing at that role and he went through some tough stretches where his name was all over the place in trade rumors. Then we got Antoine back, and Paul was as happy as he had been in a long time as we cruised into the playoffs and got bounced in the first round. Antoine was gone again, and we had Pierce and Ricky Davis leading the charge, with Al Jefferson starting to emerge. All through this time, Pierce was still making the effort to be a leader, and never complained once about all the losing. I remember watching last year every game as Paul had to struggle though injury, but Big Al and Ryan Gomes were allowed to blossom, which built them up enough to be traded for KG. Ray Allen was brought in at the draft, and the smile hasn't left Paul's face since. I'm so proud of him for never demanding a trade as so many other "superstars" did, like Kobe, Vince, Tracy, etc.

He is a true Celtic and really the only guy on this team that was really close with Red. You can see in every postgame interview that he does, he either points to the sky or mentions Red in some way. He will surely have his number in the rafters one day, and hopefully we will have gotten to raise at least one banner because of him. The day that his number goes into those rafters will really be a beautiful day, as I believe that KG and Ray Allen will probably go in right alongside him as the three guys who restored Celtic Pride.

Antoine is someone who my respect level for has gone up ever since he left Boston. When he played for us, I used to get mad at his chucking and just poor play, but now, I see that he had as much Celtic Pride as one can possibly have. He loves this team and this city, and I wish that he could have been even the twelfth man on this team. I think that after all he did for this team and with the amount of love he has for it, that he should be here when and if we win the title. At the very least maybe they should offer him a coaching spot next year, or maybe even a special ring for his years of displaying Celtic Pride.

celtics543 wrote:I was only 10 when he was drafted, so I wasn't much into the whole in-depth analyzing and had no idea how lucky we had gotten. It has been a joy to watch Paul mature over the last ten years. When he got hurt in game one, and I thought he might be done for the series, I started to reflect on all the great games he's had in Boston, that I have had the opportunity to watch over the years.

In no particular order, there was the game against the Nets in the regular season where he dropped 46 points in the second half. There was the regular season game against the Lakers in the Kobe/Shaq era where Paul and "Toine led the celts to a win, where Shaq coined the nickname, "The Truth". Then there was the comeback against the Nets. After that there were some lean years where he put up great stats but the team wasn't doing well overall and Antoine got traded. I remember seeing Paul struggle to be a leader and listening to Tommy and Mike talk about how he was reading leadership books and really trying hard to be the teams leader now that Antoine was gone. I remember how he was failing at that role and he went through some tough stretches where his name was all over the place in trade rumors. Then we got Antoine back, and Paul was as happy as he had been in a long time as we cruised into the playoffs and got bounced in the first round. Antoine was gone again, and we had Pierce and Ricky Davis leading the charge, with Al Jefferson starting to emerge. All through this time, Pierce was still making the effort to be a leader, and never complained once about all the losing. I remember watching last year every game as Paul had to struggle though injury, but Big Al and Ryan Gomes were allowed to blossom, which built them up enough to be traded for KG. Ray Allen was brought in at the draft, and the smile hasn't left Paul's face since. I'm so proud of him for never demanding a trade as so many other "superstars" did, like Kobe, Vince, Tracy, etc.

He is a true Celtic and really the only guy on this team that was really close with Red. You can see in every postgame interview that he does, he either points to the sky or mentions Red in some way. He will surely have his number in the rafters one day, and hopefully we will have gotten to raise at least one banner because of him. The day that his number goes into those rafters will really be a beautiful day, as I believe that KG and Ray Allen will probably go in right alongside him as the three guys who restored Celtic Pride.

Antoine is someone who my respect level for has gone up ever since he left Boston. When he played for us, I used to get mad at his chucking and just poor play, but now, I see that he had as much Celtic Pride as one can possibly have. He loves this team and this city, and I wish that he could have been even the twelfth man on this team. I think that after all he did for this team and with the amount of love he has for it, that he should be here when and if we win the title. At the very least maybe they should offer him a coaching spot next year, or maybe even a special ring for his years of displaying Celtic Pride.

bove310 wrote:Watching Larry Bird may have gotten me interested in basketball, but watching Paul Pierce got me to bleed green. That's when you know how much a player means to your franchise.

When we lost the lotto last year it was the emptiest feeling I've ever had as a sports fan...until Paul went down in game 1. My immediate reaction was not a championship flashing before my eyes. I saw my favorite player, the guy who truly makes me proud to be a Celtics fan, have his dreams crushed. And when he emerged from that tunnel a few minutes later bouncing up and down like Ali I was more excited than the day we traded for KG. The captain was back, he was OK!

Paul Pierce is the same guy who when I tell my non-Celtic fan buddies he's my favorite player they say his game is ugly, he's a ballhog, he doesn't play defense and worst of all...T-Mac is better. Those same friends are now sending me text messages during the playoffs telling me all the things I've known about him for years. Paul has finally gained the respect from fans of other teams and the media that he's always wanted and goddammit he's earned it. They all finally know The Truth.