Athletes - Paul Pierce

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	Athletes - Paul Pierce

Paul Anthony Pierce (born October 13 1977 in Oakland, California), nicknamed The Truth by Shaquille O'Neal, is a professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the NBA. Having gained a reputation for his tenacity and consistency on the court, Pierce is generally considered to be one of the best athletes at his small forward position in the league. He has been a starter every season since he was selected by the Celtics in the 1998 NBA Draft, and since then has helped lead Boston in 2002 to an appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals of the NBA Playoffs.

College

Pierce averaged 16.4 points and 6.3 rebounds per game in his three seasons at the University of Kansas, and earned MVP honors in the Big 12 Conference Tournament in both 1997 and 1998. He entered the NBA Draft after his junior year with the Jayhawks, and was selected in the first round (10th pick overall) of the 1998 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics, a team that was in its own rebuilding process at the time.

NBA

After his debut in the NBA, Pierce's all-around ability on the court became the catalyst behind his quick ascent to stardom, with many touting him for his ability to score, rebound, and score in the clutch. Pairing with forward Antoine Walker, he helped Boston win the Atlantic Division title in multiple years and advance into the playoffs, during which he generally performed well and garnered the respect of many critics. Along with Walker, Pierce led the Celtics to the 2002 Eastern Conference Finals. In the historic Game 3, he led the Celtics to the biggest fourth-quarter comeback in NBA playoff history, leading an improbable comeback which resulted in the Celtics beating the New Jersey Nets after trailing by 21 points at the end of the third quarter.

Pierce has averaged 23 points per game over his 7-year NBA career and is a 5-time NBA All-Star.

Trade rumors involving Paul Pierce have swirled ever since Danny Ainge returned as the Executive Director of Basketball Operations in May of 2003, although Ainge has firmly stated that Pierce will remain a Celtic and that he intends to discuss a contract extension after the 2005-2006 season. Pierce has become a Celtics fan-favorite during his tenure in Boston; some analysts and sports writers have argued that he is the most underrated basketball player in the NBA. He often has played his best games against the best individual competition, such as Lebron James, Tracy McGrady, and Kobe Bryant. For instance, Pierce scored a career high 50 points in a loss against the Cleveland Cavaliers on February 15, 2006. After the game, James stated that he feels Pierce is one of the best forwards in the Eastern Conference.

On February 9, 2006, for the fifth time in his career, Pierce was selected to play in the 2006 NBA All-Star Game in Houston, Texas as a reserve for the Eastern Conference.

In the 2005-2006 NBA season, Pierce has the highest points-per-shot average among the top 30 scorers in the league, indicating that he is one of the NBA's most efficient and consistent players. On March 8th, 2006 Paul Pierce extended his franchise-record streak of 30-point games at 8. His scoring streak has been anything but a one-man showboating effort. On March 7, he scored 10 points in overtime to beat the Washington Wizards, and the next night the Celtics eeked out a victory against Philadelphia on the strength of two late-game improbable shots by Pierce, one a three pointer, the other an off-balance "buzzer-beater" for the win. He has scored at least 30 points for the 13th time in 14 games, the best such stretch in Celtics history. He has six career triple-doubles, the most recent on March 8, 2006.

Reputation

Pierce is known as one of the more motivated players in the league. He was once fouled hard by Amare Stoudemire, hit the floor face-first, and lost a number of teeth. He did not miss any games as a result of this injury. Similarly, he has played thourgh numerous injuries that have garnered the great respect of fans and teammates alike.

On September 25, 2000, he was stabbed in the face, neck and back while at a nightclub, but recovered quickly enough to be able to return to the NBA for a full season. The event was later brought up during the 2002 playoffs when a New Jersey fan held a controversial sign stating, "Will Someone please stab Paul Pierce?"

Some fans and members of the media outside Boston, however, seem to have harbored resentment against Paul Pierce for the performance of Team USA at the 2002 Basketball World Championships. Pierce was the best player on the American National Basketball team that suffered the first three losses ever by an American team featuring NBA stars against international competition en route to placing a disappointing sixth at the Championships, and many writers blamed Pierce. However, he has been reinstated to the United States national team, having been left off the 2004 olympic team.

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Athletes - Paul Pierce

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NBA

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