"Something wrong with this rim, dog" - Paul Pierce recalls dropping 46 points in one half

Paul Pierce 's legacy as a Boston Celtics legend extends beyond leading them to a championship as the Finals MVP in 2008. The Hall of Famer also made the franchise history with some incredible individual performances. One occurred on December 1, 2001, when, after struggling throughout the first two quarters, 'The Truth' scored 46 points after halftime to guide the C's to victory.

Pierce on his historic game vs. Nets

Boston entered the game against the Nets in New Jersey with an 8-6 record to start the 2001-02 season. The home team, boasting the better record, got off to a great start, and as a result, the C's were down 12 by the end of the first quarter and were losing by 14 going into halftime.

While several Boston stars failed to produce, Pierce was the team's biggest letdown. The forward shot 1-of-16 from the field and scored only two points.

However, after the Nets extended their lead to 17 in the third quarter, Paul decided to take over the game. He shot 12-of-18 from the field, knocked down all five of his three-pointers, and converted 17 of his 18 free-throw attempts to drop 33 points as the Celtics outscored the Nets 57-43 to send the game into overtime.

'The Truth' also had 13 of the team's 15 points in OT to secure a hard-fought 105-98 win for Boston.

"I was like, 'Man, I'm missing, but they all feel good.' When you shoot the ball, you know it's going in when you release it. It's like when Steph Curry shoot it and he turn around," Pierce said. "I'm 1-14, and I didn't feel off… I'm like, 'Something wrong with this rim, dog. This can't be ten feet.'... I was like, 'Damn.'"

Pierce knew he had to inspire his team

Acknowledging his role as the Celtics' leader and the need to inspire his teammates, Pierce knew he had to be aggressive regardless of his first-half struggles.

"If they see me out there losing confidence, they lose confidence," Pierce said after the game. "They need to see me playing basketball, the way Paul Pierce plays basketball."

Inspired by Paul's second-half explosion, even Antonie Walker also had a great performance, finishing with an impressive double-double of 25 points and 17 rebounds.

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