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Paul Pierce drops Kevin Garnett-Celtics’ NBA Finals admission

Originally posted on NBA on ClutchPoints
By Julian Ojeda | Last updated Jul 3, 2025 4:01 PM ET

Paul Pierce believes the Boston Celtics were poised for another NBA championship in 2009 — if not for Kevin Garnett’s injury.

On a recent episode of Podcast P with Paul George, the Hall of Famer and Celtics legend reflected on the team’s chances that season had Garnett remained healthy. Pierce made it clear he believes Boston would have not only returned to the NBA Finals, but won it all.

“Yeah, without a doubt because you gotta understand KG, he missed about 30 games,” Pierce said. “You know we won 61 games? I think we would’ve won 70 games that year if he wouldn’t have got hurt. We knew we couldn’t win it without him. He was the heart and soul of everything that we did.”

Garnett, who had helped lead the Celtics to the 2008 NBA title, suffered a right knee injury during the 2008–09 season and was sidelined for the entire postseason. The Celtics, despite winning 61 regular season games, were eliminated in the second round by the Orlando Magic. The Magic went on to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers before falling to the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2009 NBA Finals.

Pierce also pointed to the role of luck in winning a championship, referencing the Celtics’ 2010 Finals run as another example. Boston lost to the Lakers in seven games, with center Kendrick Perkins missing the decisive contest due to injury.

“Yea without a doubt… We knew we couldn’t win it without him… It’s hard to win in this league. You gotta be good and lucky.”

Paul Pierce says the Celtics would’ve beat the Lakers and Magic in 2009 if Kevin Garnett stayed healthy

(via @PodcastPShow)pic.twitter.com/QeA4AdwM2p

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) July 3, 2025

“The next year we went back to the Finals and if [Kendrick] Perkins don’t get hurt… that’s why we saying to win it all, it’s hard to win in this league, and you gotta be good and lucky,” Pierce said.

Paul Pierce ties Kevin Garnett injury and Tyrese Haliburton setback to title luck

Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett (5) and guard Ray Allen (20) high five teammates forward Paul Pierce (34) and guard Rajon Rondo (9) during the first half of game five of the first round of the 2010 NBA playoffs against the Miami Heat at TD Garden. David Butler II-Imagn Images

The former Finals MVP connected Boston’s experience to the NBA’s current landscape, referencing the Indiana Pacers’ loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2025 NBA Finals. The Pacers fell in seven games, with star guard Tyrese Haliburton tearing his Achilles in the opening minutes of Game 7 after scoring nine points in just under seven minutes.

“Like Indiana, think about it… The shot bounces up, that’s part of the journey, that’s part of the luck,” Pierce said, alluding to Haliburton’s numerous clutch performances throughout the Pacers’ postseason run.

Pierce emphasized how narrow the margin between victory and defeat can be in the NBA. He cited examples from recent league history, including Golden State’s 2015 championship run and Toronto’s 2019 title.

“We got lucky in the second round versus LeBron in Game 7. He went for 46 [points],” Pierce said. “Golden State’s first championship, they beat teams in every round that had an injury to their star. OKC, I’m thinking like s**t if Haliburton don’t get hurt, they got a shot. KD tears his Achilles… Toronto don’t beat them. Like Toronto got lucky. Kawhi bounce, you got lucky.”

Pierce added, “And Doc [Rivers] used to say it, we gotta be good and lucky.”

The Celtics’ 2008 championship remains the franchise’s only title during the Pierce-Garnett era. Injuries and timing, as Pierce underscored, may have been the biggest obstacles in Boston’s pursuit of multiple banners during that stretch.

This article first appeared on NBA on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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