There’s no question Paul Pierce is among the best to ever don a Boston Celtics jersey, but is it possible he is the best offensive player in the team’s history?
According to another Celtics legend, The Truth sure is.
Pierce is set to have his number retired during Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, and on Saturday the Celtics held a toast to honor all that No. 34 did for the team.
Plenty of Boston legends spoke to the media ahead of the toast, and Robert Parish gave a glowing review of Pierce, even going as far as saying he was the greatest offensive Celtic ever — more so than Larry Bird.
“I think (Pierce) was the greatest offensive Celtic ever, in my opinion,” Parish said, via ESPN. “I just think that Paul was more creative. He was a better scorer than Larry (Bird) and John Havlicek. I think that Larry and John Havlicek and Paul were the best offensive players that the Celtics ever had. I think Paul tops that list in my opinion.”
There’s certainly no doubting all that Pierce brought to the parquet over the 15 seasons he was with the Celtics. He is second on Boston’s all-time scoring list after Havlicek, and was a transcendent player in Celtics folklore — especially since the turn of the millennium.
While there is plenty of debate on where Pierce ranks in Celtics history, one thing is for certain, his number deserves to proudly be hanging from the Garden rafters.
