Paul Pierce's misery at Celtics thrashing becomes hilarious internet meme on his big night

GiveMeSport

scores

By Tariq Saleh

Published Feb 12, 2018

The Celtics legend was honoured by the franchise but he was also the butt of many jokes on social media

The Boston Celtics honoured legend Paul Pierce on Sunday as they retired his number 34 jersey and raised it to the rafters inside TD Garden.The C's chose a marquee matchup to give their former star the special ceremony as they entertained the Cleveland Cavaliers.It was a night of celebration in Boston and the mood inside the arena was buoyant and joyous but once the game tipped off, the Cavs and LeBron James quickly changed the atmosphere.Once the visitors opened up a double-digit lead late in the second quarter, they never looked back and the Celtics struggled to cope with the new-look Cavaliers who handed debuts to Jordan Clarkson, George Hill, Rodney Hood and Larry Nance Jr.The Wine and Gold dominated the game for the entire second half and eventually won it 121-99.Boston fans were left silenced and it soured what was meant to be a great occasion.Pierce's ceremony was scheduled for after the game instead of half-time and he had to wait until the blow out was complete before enjoying his moment.The team's decision to do it post-game backfired horribly. As he was waiting, the look on his face resembled most Celtics fans as he looked extremely miserable when the cameras flashed over to him.Unsurprisingly, it didn't take the internet long to pick up on this image and it quickly became a meme which NBA fans ruthlessly had fun with on social media.Here are some of the best reactions:

But despite a masterclass from LeBron and the social media taunts, Pierce was still able to end the night on a high and celebrate the huge honour bestowed upon him by the Celtics organisation.

His jersey now hangs alongside other franchise greats such as Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish and Jon Havlicek.

"When you are forever with the Celtics, you're forever," Pierce said following the ceremony, per ESPN.

"If I never make the Hall of Fame or anything, to go up and make the rafters as a retired number for the Celtics, that's just enough. That's enough for me. Everything else is icing on the cake."