Boston Celtics were in for a troubled season after their All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving decided to leave in free agency and sign with the Brooklyn Nets. The team, however, quickly bounced back and signed another All-Star PG in Kemba Walker. According to Celtics’ legend Paul Pierce, the things ended up working out quite well for Boston.

According to Pierce, Irving’s departure won’t have a major impact on the Celtics’ chance to compete.

“I never thought they were in a bad position, even with Kyrie leaving,” – Pierce told Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald. “I mean, you’ve still got a chance to develop the young guys. And I think Kemba Walker is a great pickup. They’re still a threat in the East. But even before they signed Kemba, I thought they were all right.”

Pierce hinted that the root of Celtics’ poor performance with Irving last year had much to do with him not fitting with the rest of the team while adding that he hopes this won’t be an issue with Walker.

“I mean, talent don’t always win,” – he explained. “We’ve seen that plenty of times. It’s about fit. Who knows if Kemba’s going to be the right fit, because it’s always about more than basketball. It’s about how you get along with your teammates and how the chemistry is. And that’s a strength of Kemba’s, so hopefully it’ll work out.”

Despite big expectations last season, Boston Celtics played underwhelming basketball, finishing fourth in the east with a 49-33 record. In the postseason they reached Eastern Conference semi-finals before being eliminated by Milwaukee Bucks in five games.

The post Paul Pierce Isn’t Concerned About Celtics following Kyrie Irving’s Departure appeared first on SportzBonanza.

On Sunday night, after the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics honored their former forward Paul Pierce by retiring his No. 34 jersey. Pierce became the 22nd player who got his jersey retired by the Celtics organization, joining the names of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, and Bill Russell among others.

Inglewood made him.
Kansas shaped him.
But he was always a Celtic and that is The Truth.#ThankYouPaul pic.twitter.com/anzr8a6QDl

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 11, 2018

“When you are forever with the Celtics, you’re forever,” – said Pierce said following the ceremony. “If I never make the Hall of Fame or anything, to go up and make the rafters as a retired number for the Celtics, that’s just enough. That’s enough for me. Everything else is icing on the cake.“

Celtics also played an in-game video dedicated to Paul Pierce in which former and current NBA legends spoke about how much they respected him and his contribution to the game. This particularly moved Pierce.

“I didn’t expect that at all, especially coming from rivals and it just helps me realize the impact that I was able to have and the respect that I was given throughout the course of my career,” – said Pierce. “You’ve heard Kobe say it, you’ve heard LeBron [James] say it. I wasn’t a flashy player or had the commercials and top-selling shoes, but I was a player that was well-respected, and people know when I came into the gym that they had to be ready also. For them to give the praise they gave that means a lot because Magic Johnson was my idol and Kobe Bryant was my rival. It means a lot.“

Paul Pierce was drafted by the Celtics in the 1998 NBA Draft as the tenth overall pick. He went on to play 15 years for the team, winning the NBA Championship in 2008 and being named the NBA Finals MVP the same year. He also spent time with the Brooklyn Nets, Washington Wizards, and Los Angeles Clippers before signing a ceremonial contract with the Celtics in 2017 so he could retire as a Celtic. Pierce now works for ESPN as a basketball analyst.

The post Boston Celtics Retire Paul Pierce’s No. 34 Jersey appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Paul Pierce is set to receive a great honor on February 11, when the Boston Celtics retire his No. 34 jersey during the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. While you would expect for this day to be all about Pierce, the Celtics intended to also play a tribute video to Isaiah Thomas, who will be back on the court for the first time since he was traded to the Cavs. Now, it looks like Pierce will have the night just for himself and doesn’t want to share it with anyone.

“Danny and I talked about it for 40 minutes,” – said Pierce to ESPN on Tuesday. “He told me, ‘This is what we have planned,’ and at the end of the conversation, he said, ‘If you don’t want us to do Isaiah, we won’t.’ So I told him, ‘I really don’t.’ So that was it. That’s how we left it.“

After Pierce’s comments, Isaiah Thomas thanked the Celtics for the offer and said that because of the controversy that has arisen, he asked them to focus solely on Pierce.

I'd like to thank the Celtics for their gracious offer to play a video tribute on Feb 11th celebrating my 3yrs in Boston. But since it appears this has caused some controversy w/ Paul Pierce's night I'd ask the Celtics instead to focus all of their attention on #34's career.

— Isaiah Thomas (@isaiahthomas) January 17, 2018

Pierce explained his decision earlier, saying that he thinks Thomas had a chance of his tribute video before. He refers to January 3 when Thomas first came back to Boston but didn’t play due to his injury. On that night the Celtics only played a tribute video to Jae Crowder, who was also traded to the Cavs in the offseason.

Celtics head of basketball operations Danny Ainge said that the team intended to play the Isaiah Thomas tribute video during the pregame warmups on February 11 and focus the rest of the night on Pierce, but Pierce didn’t want that as well.

Paul Pierce spent 15 seasons with the Boston Celtics – who drafted him in the 1998 NBA draft with the 10th overall pick. He won an NBA championship with the Celtics in 2008 while also being named NBA Finals MVP.

The post Paul Pierce Doesn’t Want to Share His Jersey Retirement Day appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Boston Celtics were in for a troubled season after their All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving decided to leave in free agency and sign with the Brooklyn Nets. The team, however, quickly bounced back and signed another All-Star PG in Kemba Walker. According to Celtics’ legend Paul Pierce, the things ended up working out quite well for Boston.

According to Pierce, Irving’s departure won’t have a major impact on the Celtics’ chance to compete.

“I never thought they were in a bad position, even with Kyrie leaving,” – Pierce told Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald. “I mean, you’ve still got a chance to develop the young guys. And I think Kemba Walker is a great pickup. They’re still a threat in the East. But even before they signed Kemba, I thought they were all right.”

Pierce hinted that the root of Celtics’ poor performance with Irving last year had much to do with him not fitting with the rest of the team while adding that he hopes this won’t be an issue with Walker.

“I mean, talent don’t always win,” – he explained. “We’ve seen that plenty of times. It’s about fit. Who knows if Kemba’s going to be the right fit, because it’s always about more than basketball. It’s about how you get along with your teammates and how the chemistry is. And that’s a strength of Kemba’s, so hopefully it’ll work out.”

Despite big expectations last season, Boston Celtics played underwhelming basketball, finishing fourth in the east with a 49-33 record. In the postseason they reached Eastern Conference semi-finals before being eliminated by Milwaukee Bucks in five games.

The post Paul Pierce Isn’t Concerned About Celtics following Kyrie Irving’s Departure appeared first on SportzBonanza.

On Sunday night, after the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics honored their former forward Paul Pierce by retiring his No. 34 jersey. Pierce became the 22nd player who got his jersey retired by the Celtics organization, joining the names of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, and Bill Russell among others.

Inglewood made him.
Kansas shaped him.
But he was always a Celtic and that is The Truth.#ThankYouPaul pic.twitter.com/anzr8a6QDl

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 11, 2018

“When you are forever with the Celtics, you’re forever,” – said Pierce said following the ceremony. “If I never make the Hall of Fame or anything, to go up and make the rafters as a retired number for the Celtics, that’s just enough. That’s enough for me. Everything else is icing on the cake.“

Celtics also played an in-game video dedicated to Paul Pierce in which former and current NBA legends spoke about how much they respected him and his contribution to the game. This particularly moved Pierce.

“I didn’t expect that at all, especially coming from rivals and it just helps me realize the impact that I was able to have and the respect that I was given throughout the course of my career,” – said Pierce. “You’ve heard Kobe say it, you’ve heard LeBron [James] say it. I wasn’t a flashy player or had the commercials and top-selling shoes, but I was a player that was well-respected, and people know when I came into the gym that they had to be ready also. For them to give the praise they gave that means a lot because Magic Johnson was my idol and Kobe Bryant was my rival. It means a lot.“

Paul Pierce was drafted by the Celtics in the 1998 NBA Draft as the tenth overall pick. He went on to play 15 years for the team, winning the NBA Championship in 2008 and being named the NBA Finals MVP the same year. He also spent time with the Brooklyn Nets, Washington Wizards, and Los Angeles Clippers before signing a ceremonial contract with the Celtics in 2017 so he could retire as a Celtic. Pierce now works for ESPN as a basketball analyst.

The post Boston Celtics Retire Paul Pierce’s No. 34 Jersey appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Paul Pierce is set to receive a great honor on February 11, when the Boston Celtics retire his No. 34 jersey during the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. While you would expect for this day to be all about Pierce, the Celtics intended to also play a tribute video to Isaiah Thomas, who will be back on the court for the first time since he was traded to the Cavs. Now, it looks like Pierce will have the night just for himself and doesn’t want to share it with anyone.

“Danny and I talked about it for 40 minutes,” – said Pierce to ESPN on Tuesday. “He told me, ‘This is what we have planned,’ and at the end of the conversation, he said, ‘If you don’t want us to do Isaiah, we won’t.’ So I told him, ‘I really don’t.’ So that was it. That’s how we left it.“

After Pierce’s comments, Isaiah Thomas thanked the Celtics for the offer and said that because of the controversy that has arisen, he asked them to focus solely on Pierce.

I'd like to thank the Celtics for their gracious offer to play a video tribute on Feb 11th celebrating my 3yrs in Boston. But since it appears this has caused some controversy w/ Paul Pierce's night I'd ask the Celtics instead to focus all of their attention on #34's career.

— Isaiah Thomas (@isaiahthomas) January 17, 2018

Pierce explained his decision earlier, saying that he thinks Thomas had a chance of his tribute video before. He refers to January 3 when Thomas first came back to Boston but didn’t play due to his injury. On that night the Celtics only played a tribute video to Jae Crowder, who was also traded to the Cavs in the offseason.

Celtics head of basketball operations Danny Ainge said that the team intended to play the Isaiah Thomas tribute video during the pregame warmups on February 11 and focus the rest of the night on Pierce, but Pierce didn’t want that as well.

Paul Pierce spent 15 seasons with the Boston Celtics – who drafted him in the 1998 NBA draft with the 10th overall pick. He won an NBA championship with the Celtics in 2008 while also being named NBA Finals MVP.

The post Paul Pierce Doesn’t Want to Share His Jersey Retirement Day appeared first on SportzBonanza.