Paul Pierce’s No34 was retired by the Boston Celtics after their clash with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday.

Here are five of the most memorable moments from ‘The Truth’s’ stellar career.

The historic comeback

Pierce had a knack for putting Celtics teams on his back to deliver heroic moments and in Game 3 of the 2002 Eastern Conference Finals, he did just that. Down 21 points and with his jump shot failing him, Pierce drove relentlessly to the rim over and over to score 19 in the final period, leading Boston to – at the time – the greatest fourth-quarter comeback in playoff history over the New Jersey Nets.

In Harrington’s mug

He almost always walked the walk, but Pierce could also talk the talk as well as anyone. His best trash-talking moment came in the third quarter of Game 4 of the first round of the playoffs against the Indiana Pacers. Jawing back and forth with Pacers swingman Al Harrington while the clock ran down, Pierce stepped to his left and buried a deep 3-pointer right in Harrington’s face.

Duel with LeBron

The only real rivalry LeBron James has ever had with one player was with Pierce. And in Game 7 of the 2008 Eastern Conference semi-finals, the two put on a show for the ages. While LeBron outscored Pierce 45 to 41, it was the Celtics star who shut the door on the Cleveland Cavaliers down the stretch. Had it not been for Pierce’s clutch performance, Boston would have never raised banner 17.

Wheelchair game, Finals MVP and banner 17

In Game 1 of the 2008 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers, it looked like Boston’s title hopes were dashed before they could even be realised as Pierce appeared to suffer a severe leg injury. But after having to be taken to the locker room in a wheelchair, Pierce emerged minutes later with a limp and returned to the game, hitting a pair of 3-pointers. His overall play in the Finals would earn him MVP honours.

Welcome home

The “toughest game” Pierce ever had to play, according to him, wasn’t in the Finals or against LeBron, but rather in his first return to Boston in 2014 after being traded to the Brooklyn Nets. Pierce was showered with love from the TD Garden faithful throughout the contest and received a lengthy video tribute at one point, which meant there was hardly a dry eye in the room, including Pierce’s.