And while Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo take turns acting as perhaps the team’s most irreplaceable players, and Ray Allen remains the model of consistency, Paul Pierce is the Boston Celtics. Drafted by them, raised by them, hurt by them, loved by them, winning with them.

If I was in the same position, in the same rotation, I’m going to jump again and again and again,” Perkins told Yahoo! Sports. “I don’t care. A lot of people are afraid of humiliation or don’t know how to handle embarrassment or would even get embarrassed. I don’t care….That’s my job. How will my teammates look at me if next time I just back out the way and just let him dunk when I’m supposed to be defensive-minded, a shot-blocker? That would be a coward move on me. He’d just have to dunk on me again.