"I give Paul Pierce all the credit" - When Robert Parish said he found a reason to be proud of the Celtics again
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The Boston Celtics are the winningest franchise in NBA history. They hold the most regular-season wins among all teams and, after clinching the 2018 title, tied with the Los Angeles Lakers for the most championships with 18.
However, there was a time when the team underwent a prolonged slump. The C's missed the playoffs six straight times from 1996 to 2001 and were never seen as a strong contender in the following years. So, when the Big 3 of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen led the Celtics to a championship, several legends were delighted. Robert Parish even said in 2012 that the trio made him proud of the team again, specifically praising Pierce.
"Those three guys gave us a reason to be proud of the Celtics again," Parish said. "I give Paul Pierce all the credit. He put his ego aside for the betterment of the team. That speaks volumes about him as a person."
Pierce's sacrifice
Parish was part of the last Boston squad that hoisted the trophy, and he knew firsthand the kind of sacrifice needed for several highly skilled and prideful players to come together and become ultimate winners. And that was what the 2007-08 Celtics squad also had to do, especially since all three of Pierce, Garnett, and Allen were deemed three of the best hoopers of their generation but had yet to set foot in the Finals.
As "The Chief" mentioned, that the L.A. native deserves recognition for arguably sacrificing the most among the iconic trio. While it was Allen who experienced the largest drop in average points that season from the previous campaign, "The Truth" had to give up some of the authority he had had as the Celtics' former alpha dog.
Two of Pierce's coaches in Beantown, Doc Rivers and Jim O'Brien, had nothing but praises for the Hall of Famer, particularly his leadership.
It was all worth it, of course, since they got a ring to show for it.
An unceremonious end to their time in Boston
Sadly for Pierce, he couldn't finish his career in the same manner as Parish's former teammates, Larry Bird and Kevin McHale, did. Rather than retire as a Celtic, he, along with Garnett, was traded to the Brooklyn Nets in 2013.
They never wanted to leave, but the front office determined that it was in their best interest to build for the future instead of holding on to sentimentality. Paul once admitted that returning to Boston wearing a different jersey was the toughest contest he had ever had to play.
However, he might be looking back at it more positively now since the 2013 trade actually allowed the organization to draft Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.
Because of the deal, the Celtics are once again NBA champions. So it is safe to assume that Parish (and Pierce) are proud of the franchise.