The House That Paul Built

Today, as I embarked upon my daily scan through NBA.com, a small passage struck me as being slightly odd: "Andrea Bargnani along with his Raptors will return to his native Italy to help tip off NBA Europe Live 2007 on Oct. 6 in Rome when they face Kevin Garnett's Celtics." Notice anything peculiar? It has nothing to do with Bargnani, nor his native Italy, nor NBA Europe Live 2007. No, the phrase that jumped out at me was "Kevin Garnett's Celtics." Kevin Garnett's Celtics. Think about it. This is a guy who has never hit the court during an official NBA game as a Boston Celtic. He has never scored as a Celtic, rebounded as a Celtic or passed to a Celtic (although I'm sure he's had a few passes picked off by a Celtic in the past). Nothing against Garnett, but the player that will always define this decade of Celtics basketball is Paul Pierce.

Don't get me wrong, KG is a fantastic basketball player. One of the best the game has ever seen. His versatility is almost unmatched by any player in history, and he has been the epitome of consistency for ten years. His jumper is nearly flawless, his rebounding is forceful and his defense is supreme. Paul Pierce will never have the basketball skills of Garnett, nor the respect on the court from opponents, but that doesn't change the fact that he stuck by the team when things were about as bleak as they could get.

When the Celtics were enduring one of the longest losing streaks in NBA history, who sat on the sidelines and watched meticulously, eventually returning and winning them a game only five days after coming back? Who scored at least thirty points in eleven consecutive games, knowing that his team wouldn't make the playoffs but still trying to do everything he could to win them a game? I would never call Pierce my favorite Celtic of all time, he's not even my favorite on the team we have at the moment. But he deserves the respect of everybody who has ever called themselves a Celtics fan, and he remains the heart and soul of this team.

Who knows what could happen over the course of next season. KG might average a triple-double and lead the Celtics to a 70-win season; Pierce may assault a fan a la Ron Artest and become the most hated man in basketball; or both of these guys might coexist beautifully, along with Ray Allen, and the three might share the title of leader until they eventually retire. Whatever happens, it's important for fans to remember who was there from the start, practically standing at our sides through thick and thin. We owe him that much.