NBA Hall of Fame Class of 2021: Top 5 moments from Paul Pierce's career

#3 Paul Pierce scores a playoff career-high of 46 points

The Philadelphia 76ers were coming off their first Finals appearance since the days of Julius Erving and Moses Malone in 1983 and faced a hungry Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker on May 3, 2002. Pierce was the fire; Walker was the glue. Walker's play helped give Pierce the confidence he needed to scorch Allen Iverson, Dikembe Mutombo and the Sixers to the tune of a playoff career high of 46 points. The Game 6 performance was one of the reasons Paul Pierce was so clutch. Walker finished with 26 points, 9 assists and 6 boards, and Boston closed out Philadelphia in the 1st round 120-87.

#2 Pierce scores points to close out LeBron James and the Cavaliers

The Truth sent LeBron James to playoff defeat in 2008

Boston beat Cleveland in Game 7, May 8, 2008, of the Eastern Conference semis to advance to the NBA Finals, 97-92. Paul Pierce had 41 points to offset LeBron James' 45, and the scrutiny of The King began to reach feverish decibles. Boston was his proving ground, and Paul Pierce made sure James stewed in defeat just one more time. The shots he made in this game were simply masterful, and showed that Pierce was most definitely an NBA superstar.

#1 Winning 2008 Finals MVP

Boston routed Kobe Bryant and the Lakers in Game 6 of the 2008 Finals 131-92. Paul Pierce was mainly a facilitator in the win and had 17 points and a game high 10 dimes. For the series, Paul Pierce averaged 22 points, 6 boards and 5 dimes and was named Finals MVP. It was the first time the Lakers and Celtics faced each other in the Finals since 1987. Paul Pierce, a native of Los Angeles, definitively became a Celtics legend on June 17th, 2008.

Congrats on the Hall of Fame induction Paul Pierce.

It's been 10 years since Paul Pierce's 'Wheelchair Game' pic.twitter.com/7r1s8qtCnZ
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 5, 2018

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