NBA

The Final Truth: Emotional Paul Pierce Says Farewell to Boston, Clippers Lose to Celtics

It was an emotional Super Bowl Sunday for Paul Pierce who played his final game in Boston as the Los Angeles Clippers lost to the Celtics, 107-102 at the Garden.

The final truth.

Fittingly, Paul Pierce hit the final shot of the game — a three-pointer — in his Boston farewell as the Los Angeles Clippers lost to the Boston Celtics, 107-102, on Super Bowl Sunday at the Garden.

Isaiah Thomas continued his dominance in the fourth, leading the Celtics with 28 points, but let's be honest, the game was all about the swan song of "The Truth."

Pierce played for the Celtics from 1998 to 2013, bringing back an NBA title to Beantown in 2008 under current Clippers head coach Doc Rivers.

In a classy move, Rivers inserted Pierce into the staring lineup even though he hasn't seen the court sine New Years Eve.

Before the game, the Celtics played a video tribute to their former MVP winner and Pierce was brought to tears by the acknowledgement as fans at a sold-out Garden chanted "Paul Pierce, Paul Pierce, Paul Pierce!"

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The chants didn't stop there as fans continued to shout out their wishes and desires, proclaiming, in unison, "We Want Pierce!" throughout the game, until Rivers finally obliged them in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter.

With the outcome of the game no longer in doubt, Pierce entered the game for the final 35 seconds, and promptly drilled a three-pointer, for the final points of the game.

Not only was the three-pointer a fitting way to say farewell to Boston, but Pierce had never been held scoreless in a game at the Garden in his illustrious career. With less than 17 seconds remaining, Pierce made sure that the streak would stand the test of time, albeit in the nick of time.

As the crowd was filtering out to get home in time for the Super Bowl, Pierce walked back onto the parquet floor, dropped to his knees, and kissed the leprechaun at center court.

Pierce, 39, has said he will retire after the season. He had not played since Dec. 31 but former Celtics coach Doc Rivers put him in the starting lineup so he could have a fitting farewell.

Meanwhile, his Clippers teammates looked out of sorts on the court, and lacked competitiveness throughout the game.

Blake Griffin and Jamal Crawford scored 23 apiece, and DeAndre Jordan had 16 rebounds for Los Angeles, which lost for the sixth time in eight games.

Al Horford had 13 points and a season-high 15 rebounds for the Celtics, who brought Pierce to tears with a first-quarter highlight video. Thomas had eight assists but had a four-game streak of 35-point games snapped.

With fans undecided on whether to cheer louder for the Celtics, for Pierce, or for the New England Patriots, who played in the Super Bowl later Sunday, the basketball team held on as the Clippers cut a 12-point lead to 103-99 in the final minute.

UP NEXT

Clippers: at Toronto on Monday.

Celtics: At Sacramento on Wednesday.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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