5 best players in Boston Celtics history

 With Paul Pierce entering his final NBA season, here are the five best players in Boston Celtics history.

Paul Pierce will spend his final NBA season with the Los Angeles Clippers, but he will always be best-known as a member of the Boston Celtics. He has already gone public with a plan to officially retire as a Celtic after the 2016-17 season, and Pierce will then formally end a likely Hall of Fame career where it began.

Pierce has a place as one of the best, and perhaps most-underrated, players of his era. He is one of the best players in the storied history of the Celtics too, which is a high accomplishment all on its own with the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame littered with Celtic green.

Pierce’s legacy as a player will only be only slightly diminished by his end as an aging role player, with the Brooklyn Nets, Washington Wizards and now with the Clippers. But where does he rank among all-time Celtics’ greats?

5. Paul Pierce

Pierce is second in Celtics’ history in points (24,021). He’s also top-10 in franchise history in steals, assists, field goals made and attempted, three-pointers made and attempted, free throws made and attempted, offensive rebounds, player efficiency rating and win shares. Given the lengthy, often successful history of the franchise, Pierce’s list of individual accomplishments is noteworthy.

But where Pierce suffers in comparison to the others on this list is championships. The Celtics made two NBA Finals during his time with the team, winning one in 2008 when he, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen formed the first “Big Three” of the last decade or so.

Pierce’s longevity, playing 15 of what will ultimately be 19 NBA seasons as a Celtic, places him firmly alongside the others on this list. But rings are the thing compared to those other greats, and Pierce falls short there through no fault of his own.