BOSTON — It was a day Paul Pierce waited an entire basketball lifetime for. And aside from his Celtics getting buried by a Cleveland avalanche and losing 121-99, the day his No. 34 went to the rafters didn’t disappoint.<\/p>\n
For the second time he had the honor Sunday of pulling a banner up to the rafters. But instead of crying like he did in 2008, hoisting Banner 17 to the rafters, he just smiled and smiled as he became the 23rd Celtics legend to have his number hang above the parquet.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was thinking about the last time I pulled ropes up there I was tearing up crying and I was trying not to cry,” Pierce said. “When we raised the Championship banner that\u2019s when it all came out, it came out bad that day. I was just trying to hold it together and I just knew that when I first saw the banner lift and I saw it straight and I saw my number there it was like man all the years I walked into the gym everyday I looked up and I saw empty spots and I saw all the other jersey numbers. Now I\u2019m on there, now I\u2019m on there, and that\u2019s forever.<\/p>\n
“It\u2019s just like wow I\u2019m there and now I can say that\u2019s the finish, I did the trifecta. I left a legacy. I had my high school jersey retired, my college jersey retired, but there is no greater honor than having your NBA jersey retired for the Boston Celtics, no greater honor.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nTake in the moment Paul, you’ve earned it. 3\ufe0f\u20e34\ufe0f\u20e3 pic.twitter.com\/B81uPlraT5<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 12, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
How much does Pierce mean that? He went as far as to say that if he weren’t elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Sunday’s honor would be enough.<\/p>\n
“When you’re forever with the Celtics, you’re forever,” Pierce said. \u201cWhen I was sitting out here in the back ready to go out I was just sitting here and my hands were shaking. Originally, I had a speech, I wrote down some points, but then last minute I was just like I\u2019m going to go out there and say what I feel and hopefully I don\u2019t forget important names that were part of this journey. This is just a special day. 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\u2019s just enough, that\u2019s enough for me. Everything else is icing on the cake.\u201d<\/p>\n
Toward the end of the 40-minute ceremony, Pierce finally began to choke up in tears, thanking the fans and what the experience meant to share with his three children.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got emotional when I talked about my kids because for them to just sit here, they didn\u2019t\u2019 get a chance to see most of my career. My daughter was born April of the year we won it, my first daughter, so they didn\u2019t really get a chance. For them just to see their dad and how appreciated he was in the city and to be able to leave a legacy to be able to come back years down the line and say that\u2019s my dad, my dad\u2019s number is up there. That means a lot to me. They will one day, if they don\u2019t realize it now, they will one day.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nInglewood made him.
\nKansas shaped him.
\nBut he was always a Celtic and that is The Truth.#ThankYouPaul<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/anzr8a6QDl<\/a><\/p>\n