Jeff Green and Courtney Lee on Pierce's and KG's "Epic" Legacies

Yesterday, while attending Boston's summer league victory, Jeff Green and Courtney Lee sat down to speak about Paul Pierce's and Kevin Garnett's legacies. Here's what they had to say.

Lee on wishing Pierce had retired a Celtic:

Jay King, MassLive.com
“As a player and as a fan watching him growing up, you kind of wish that he did. But it’s a business. The only thing I can say is it’s a business and things happen, man. But I’m sure the fans and the whole Celtics organization appreciate Paul and the years that he’s spent with the organization."

Lee on post-trade emotions:

“Losing KG and Paul and JET, those are all guys that are instrumental to the team. Especially Paul and KG, what they meant to the Boston Celtics organization. It was definitely strange, it was definitely strange, but we’re moving forward now. Everybody in the organization, all the fans – everybody wishes those guys the best, but now they’re on the opposite team. It’s going to be a little weird going against them but we’ve got to now.”

Green on what he learned from KG and Pierce:

“They meant a lot as far as my development, my outlook on the game and my preparation. You’re looking at two Hall of Famers who I was blessed to play with. It’s rare that you’re able to play with a KG-like player and a Paul Pierce in the same year, and I was blessed. I learned as much as I could from them. I picked their brains, especially KG. He’s done so many things in this league. All my development, my aggression, my passion for this game increasingly got higher because of him, watching him, him speaking to me every day about what I can be and what I should do. I owe a lot to them.”
On their former teammate's legacies:

Lee: “Epic. Those are two guys that you can’t replace. They’re monumental to teams. You know everything Paul’s done, everything KG’s done. It seems like every other game that we played they were breaking somebody’s record or moving up in the charts. It’s only a credit to those guys and their performances, and what they mean to teams.”
Green: “One of the best to do it at their positions. Paul at this age can still play with the best of them. KG at his age – I think he’s 38, he’s old, 37 – for them to put up the numbers they did last year at their age, it was remarkable. I enjoyed watching them, I enjoyed being a part of it. It’s amazing what they can do. I think they’re going to be known as one of the best to ever do it at their position."

It's great to hear how much appreciation Garnett and Pierce commanded from their teammates.

Throughout the years, you could tell just by watching the games that Celtics' players truly respected "The Truth" and KG, as opposed to the phony veneration of other superstars like LeBron or Melo in tv-spot huddles. It's really sad to see two legends go, but it's reassuring to know that the remaining C's understand the "epicness" of #34 and #5.


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