Paul Pierce Passes Larry Bird in Celtics Scoring Lore

Since Paul Pierce first arrived on Causeway Street as a rookie in 1998, no athlete has become as synonymous with Boston. Not Tom Brady. Not David Ortiz. Not anyone. Sure, there have been longer tenured Boston athletes—Tim Wakefield comes to mind—nut no other athlete has had the stature, the longevity, the loyalty and the captainship that Pierce has brought to the Garden.

In a town still picking up the pieces following a Super Bowl loss in a game that was theirs to win, it seems fitting that Pierce was the one that could give his grieving city something to cheer about. Last night Paul Pierce passed Larry Bird to move into second place on the Celtics' all-time scoring list—so what you might say? It’s second place, it’s only one team’s all-time scoring list. Anyone that shares those sentiments clearly knows little of Celtics basketball.

John Havlicek, for the record, is the Celtics' all-time leading scorer—and by a large margin. Bill Russell, also a Celtic, has won more championships than anyone in the history of the game. But in Celtic lore, it’s Larry Bird who stands at the top of the golden mountain. He’s our Babe Ruth, our untouchable figure. And Pierce’s passing of Bird is an opportune moment to reflect on what Pierce has meant to the C’s.

During the 1998-1999 season, I was 12 years old. I remember Pierce scoring a bunch (16.5 PPG), Antoine Walker jacking up countless threes, and the Celtics generally being a joke. Tommy Heinsohn was even half-sane back in those days. And Paul Pierce has been the single constant in the Celtics organization since that time. He stuck with the Celtics through thick and thin, eventually winning himself a title in 2007-2008. There were trade talks and plenty of attractive offers out there for Pierce, yet he stayed.

In a sentence, Paul Pierce is the anti-Johnny Damon. And for that he will forever be loved in Boston.

But let’s not let Pierce’s loyalty be his only distinguishing factor—this guy is as pure of a scorer as there is (22.1 PPG for his career). Pierce currently ranks 28th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list and is fifth among active players. So who is ahead of him? Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Dirk Nowitzki and Tim Duncan—talk about company.

There’s no doubt that Pierce’s current Celtics team seems to have put their best days behind them. Everyone is disappointed that the Big Three were only able to capture a single championship, but that’s just us having unrealistic expectations here in Boston. So Boston, stop your weeping for just a moment and stop to reflect on the guy who has shown up to work everyday for the past 14 seasons—almost always managing to find the bottom of the net.

Geoff Roberts is the Founder and Managing Editor of howiGit.com, a Boston sports blog.