Paul Pierce surpassed fellow Boston Celtics’ legend John Havlicek on the NBA’s all-time scoring list Monday, moving into 15th place with a little bit of style and a lot of luck against the Houston Rockets.
Paul Pierce passed John Havlicek on the NBA’s all-time scoring list with a lucky bounce
Sometimes, the Basketball Gods smile down on you.
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Somehow this shot went in — with some assistance from the Basketball Gods, perhaps — and even Pierce couldn’t help but smile and celebrate with teammates afterward.
Although he missed the free throw, this improbable bucket gave Pierce the 26,396th and 26,397th points of his career, enough to put him two points ahead of Havlicek and vault him into the top 15 on the scoring list.
Pierce poured in a season-high 10 points in the Clippers’ 125-96 victory, all of which came in the game’s final five minutes. Because Doc Rivers tightened his rotations for the playoffs, there was a legitimate concern that Pierce might not surpass Havlicek before he retires at the end of this season. He did so just in the nick of time.
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