BOSTON - Everyone knows that the Boston Celtics are made up of seasoned vets. When you have so many proven players on your roster, milestones will undoubtedly be reached.
This season’s Celtics team, led by the established careers of Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, racked up plenty of notches in the milestone category. Here are the most impressive milestones Boston’s finest reached this season.
Paul Pierce – 4,000 Career Assists
Longtime Celtics captain Paul Pierce notched his 4,000th career assist on Dec. 8, 2012 during a 92-79 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. He finished that game with nine helpers, which accounted for his season high to that point. Pierce’s career assist total at the end of the regular season was 4,305, which ranks as fourth-most in Celtics history.
Kevin Garnett – 10th All-Time in Rebounds
Kevin Garnett turned his rebounding up in the playoffs but wasn’t too shabby in the regular season, either. His 7.8 rebounds per game led the team and helped him grab his 13,500th career board during a Christmas Day win in Brooklyn. Less than three months later, KG’s 10 boards against the Pacers on March 6 moved him past Wes Unseld and into 10th place on the NBA’s all-time rebounds list. He finished the season with 13,843 career boards, which is 398 less than Walt Bellamy, who ranks ninth all-time.
Jason Terry – 5,000 Career 3-Point Attempts
In order to be one of the most prolific 3-point shooters in NBA history, you need to hoist up quite a few shots from downtown. Terry has certainly done that, as he attempted his 5,000th career 3-pointer this season. He ranks fourth all-time in league history in both 3-pointers attempted (5,037) and made (1,911). Now that Jason Kidd has announced his retirement, Terry can surpass his former teammate next season for fourth on the list by making 78 3s.
Paul Pierce – Fifth All-Time in 3-Pointers
The Celtics were fortunate to have two of the best 3-point shooters in history on their team this season. We’ve already covered Terry’s knack of shooting from downtown, but Pierce isn’t far behind him. Pierce passed Chauncey Billups this season for fifth all-time in made 3-pointers. He finished the season with 1,823 makes, which rank seven ahead of Billups. Both players are still active, so their battle should continue into next season.
Kevin Garnett – 15th All-Time in Scoring
Garnett has done it on the glass and on the scoreboard. In addition to breaking into the top 10 this season in career rebounds, he also notched his 25,000th career point and broke into the top 15 in career scoring. KG scored his 25,000th career point on Feb. 7 during a win over the Los Angeles Lakers. He then passed Jerry West for 15th in the scoring books on March 13 during a win over the Toronto Raptors. Garnett finished the season with 25,274 career points, which leaves him just five behind Reggie Miller for 14th all-time.
Paul Pierce – 20th All-Time in Scoring
Ironically, on the same night that Garnett moved into 15th place on the all-time scoring list, Pierce moved into 20th on the same list. Pierce was able to pass Charles Barkley for 20th all-time in scoring thanks to the 15 points he scored during Boston’s March 13 victory. Pierce’s team-high scoring average of 18.6 points per game helped him surpass the 24,000-point barrier, as he finished the season with 24,021 career points. He needs 2,375 points to surpass John Havlicek as the Celtics' all-time leading scorer.
Doc Rivers – 400th Career Win with Boston
The Celtics have 3,108 regular season victories in their history. Only three of their head coaches (there have been 16 of them) have tallied at least 400 of those wins. With a victory over the Toronto Raptors on Feb. 6, Doc Rivers joined that elite group, alongside Red Auerbach (795 wins) and Tommy Heinsohn (427 wins).
Jeff Green – 5,000 Career Points
Jeff Green turned into a dominant scorer toward the end of February, and shortly thereafter, he eclipsed his first major career scoring milestone. On March 1, during a win over the Golden State Warriors, Green’s 18 points pushed him over the 5,000-point barrier. He completed the season with 5,401 career regular season points.
Paul Pierce – 10th All-Time in Free Throws Made
If you think you’ve seen Pierce hit an abundance of free throws over the years, you’re right on the money. His 333 made free throws in 2012-13 pushed him past Allen Iverson for 10th all-time. He has now has made 6,434 freebies in his career. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Dolph Schayes (6,712 made free throws apiece) are his next targets on the list.