Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce remembered a humorous incident during Celtics’ 2008 victory parade
Garnett called it his "favorite duck boat story."
Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce’s parade story: With the next generation of the Celtics set to enjoy a victory parade on Friday, the last generation to win a title recently looked back on their own “rolling rally.”
Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, who were cornerstones of Boston’s 2008 win, shared a memory from that day as they partied with the city from atop duck boats.
Garnett recalled his “favorite duck boat story,” which began with Pierce handing out Cohiba Churchill cigars to his teammates.
However, despite being the provider, Pierce had little experience smoking them.
“I think this might’ve been my first time hitting a cigar,” Pierce admitted.
Garnett pointed out that cigars aren’t meant for “drawing,” though he was seeing significantly more smoke billowing out from Pierce’s duck boat. And at first, Pierce was having the time of his life.
“I look up and see he’s smoked about this much of the Churchill,” Garnett explained, indicating that Pierce had consumed a large portion of the cigar.
“You ain’t supposed to hit these like this,” he noted.
Eventually, as cigar-smokers will undoubtedly know, Pierce’s rapid consumption caught up with him.
“I got lightheaded,” Pierce added, laughing as he remembered the episode.
“The cigar killed me,” Pierce explained. “I was light-headed. I was sweating. I was down.”
Garnett thought the whole episode was hilarious.
“That was the funniest s*** ever,” he recalled.
Pierce said that he eventually recovered after drinking a Red Bull, though it taught him a lesson about cigar smoking.
Trivia: In the 2008 NBA Finals, the Celtics had two players shoot at least 50 percent from three-point range. One was Ray Allen, who hit 22-of-42. The other was a player who hit 12-of-24. Can you name him?
(Answer at the bottom).
Hint: He only played in Boston one season, and also won a title in Miami (in 2006) across a 12-year career in the NBA.
Scores and schedules:
Today, the Celtics victory parade (“rolling rally”) gets underway at 11 a.m. as Boston stops to celebrate its latest title.
Tonight, the Red Sox begin a three-game series in Cincinnati against the Reds at 7:10 p.m. Boston is currently on a five-game winning streak.
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The first home run from Rickwood: During the MLB’s special game played at Rickwood Field, an Alabama native was the first person to hit a home run on Thursday.
On this day: In 1998, Pedro Martinez pitched eight innings, allowing only one run and striking out six in a 3-1 win over the then-Devil Rays. Lou Merloni’s two-RBI double and Nomar Garciaparra’s solo home run in the second and third innings provided all the offense Boston needed behind the dominant Martinez.
Daily highlight: Enjoy this unbelievable sequence from Jannik Sinner in an eventual win against Fábián Marozsán in the Halle Open.
Trivia answer: James Posey
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