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Parish: Pierce best Celtics offensive player ever

Print | Comments () Posted by Gary Washburn Globe Staff August 9, 2010 03:51 PM

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Robert Parish did little to hide his admiration for Paul Pierce, who agreed to a four-year contract extension after this season and should retire a Celtic. When asked about Pierce and whether he deserves to have his jersey retired, Parish lavished "The Truth" with compliments.

"I think Paul Pierce, the way he manufactures points is the best player the Celtics have seen thus far," Parish told the Globe. "That's saying a lot because you are talking about John Havlicek, [who] was the best offensive player that the Celtics had, the way he manufactures points. But Paul Pierce has them all beat. He’s got the Sam Joneses, the (Don) Nelsons, the Tommy Heinsohns, Jones, Havlicek, (Larry) Bird, (Kevin) McHale, myself. Paul Pierce is the best offensive player the Celtics have seen thus far."

Pierce is third in scoring for the Celtics, trailing Havlicek and Bird and is 101 points short of 20,000. Pierce averages 22.5 points per game, compared to 24.3 for Bird and 20.8 for Havlicek.

Said Parish, "[Pierce's] number will be retired once he retires. And if they don’t retire it, then it’s a travesty to justice."

Review our gallery of the Celtics' all-time best scorers.