Paul Pierce, Evan Turner explain why this year's Celtics have ben so successful

BOSTON —As hordes of Boston Celtics fans filled the lower bowl at TD Garden, five racks of balls were rolled out onto the court. Four former players were set to compete in a three-point contest as part of the Celtics’ Causeway Classic event, presented by Ticketmaster.

It was a stacked lineup: Paul Pierce, Brian Scalabrine, Evan Turner, and Leon Powe. Two different eras of Celtics basketball represented. Three champions and one Hall-of-Famer among the bunch.

Even Turner felt out of place. Though he was grateful to be back in Boston.

“I qualify myself just naturally, with delusion, as a legend,” Turner joked. “It's not so much Celtics. It's just like a human. It's Jesus, Michael Jackson, me. But no, I'm just grateful to be back. It's always cool to be, obviously, in Boston, and be part of this. And I'm very humbled when they hit me to show up and do this. I'm like, hey, whenever. I don't care if I'm 100th on the list, I get it. I get it. But I'll always show up and pull up. And Boston's fun so, good time.”

As the three-point contest got underway, two favorites quickly emerged. Powe, who shot 0-of-5 from deep range in his five-year NBA career, notched just six points. Turner, a career 29.4% shooter, got to 12.

Both were eliminated after the first of two rounds. And Turner had a sneaking suspicion that would be the case.

“To be really honest with you, I haven't shot a ball in like three years. And that's not even like a joke. Like, I haven't,” he said. “And I've just been lifting weights. And just, if you make a shot, like tonight, I got 12 out of 30. I want to go back to work out and get ready to play again, you know what I mean? So, I kind of just— When you can let it lay down, you do. But I was just happy to be here, [just in the] environment.”

That left Pierce and Scalabrine, who scored 19 and 18 first-round points, respectively. Scalabrine went first in Round 2, finishing with 16. And when Pierce got to his last rack of balls, he was sitting at 15.

He missed the first three shots. Then? Cash. Tie game.

And with a single money ball left (worth two points), Pierce reminded those in attendance of who he is. Clutch.

Paul Pierce wins the three-point contest on the final shot https://t.co/On7zcJyaJC pic.twitter.com/Zi0RWR7Kdk— Jack Simone (@JackSimoneNBA) March 22, 2026

Pierce took home the win, but beating Scalabrine in the final didn’t exactly fill the competitive void left after he retired.

“I mean, I beat Steph Curry in a contest, so this was light,” he laughed.

As for Scalabrine, his three-pointers were called into question, anyway. When he was shooting, Pierce, Turner, and Powe pointed at his feet: His toes were on the three-point line.

But he got away with it.

“Man, we all know that,” Pierce said. “But you know, Scal. That's what he did when he played, so I wasn't surprised to see him try to get an edge.”

Contest results aside, the event was a raging success. Not only did fans get a chance to watch some former Celtics compete, with Cedric Maxwellon the call, but they also enjoyed some other experiences.

There were autograph stations with former players, a yard sale, where game-worn jerseys and other old memorabilia were sold at discount prices, and other small giveaways around the concourse.

For Pierce, it was yet another in a long line of welcome returns.

“It's always great to come back here. This is home,” he said. “So, to be able to give back to the fans every time I come out, it means a lot for what they've been able to do to support me in my career. Times like this, you remember what you left in this building for the city. And so, I enjoy it every time.”

But just because Pierce no longer resides in Boston doesn’t mean he hasn’t been paying attention from the outside. The same goes for Turner. Both have been keeping tabs on what this year’s team has been able to accomplish.

And their reactions are a blend of surprise and the lack thereof.

Pierce was quick to give this year’s Celtics flowers.

“I think we all are surprised,” he said. “I mean, when you lose as much as the Celtics lost from the championship team, talk about the veteran experience. Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, guys of that nature. And for them to be in a position they are today, no Tatum all year long, until recently.”

Turner, on the other hand, sees Boston’s success as simply meeting the expectation that outsiders failed to recognize.

“No, because when you get around them— I've known Joe since college, obviously, I know Brad Stevens, and I knew a lot of players here. It's just not part of their DNA to lose or to roll over,” he said when asked if he’s been surprised. “So, I wasn't really shocked. I just knew it was just like a new level for them, dig deeper and step [up to] the new challenge, and that's what they're doing now.”

And while Pierce and Turner took slightly different stances regarding their surprise level this season, they agreed on a couple of points: Jaylen Brown and Joe Mazzullahave been outstanding.

Brown got the love of an MVP

“I think Brown is having an MVP season,” Pierce said. “I mean, not enough is being said on how he's held down the fort for pretty much all year. To elevate his game in what? This is his ninth or 10th year? Tenth year? To be able to still elevate your game in your 10th year is pretty amazing, because most of the time, guys are who they are by the time they're in their fourth, fifth year. But just to see his maturation process at this stage. And it's just unfortunate that he's not in MVP talks like he should be.”

“I love it. I definitely love it,” Turner said of Brown stepping up. “I think one thing that occurs with Jaylen Brown is that you kind of forget he's so good. Because obviously, Jayson was so elite or whatever, you forget that he kind of has an underdog story. But then you also have to be in real time and be present and being like, man, he's kind of shattering all the expectations, or the glass ceiling.

“And whenever you see guys that you worked with, or you see people that work hard and compete and are intentional about how they prepare, you really want them to succeed. And I think Jaylen does a great job, on and off the court. And for the game of basketball, for the youth, you need more young individuals like that [who] can push the fold.”

As for Mazzulla, it’s all about the way he’s elevated this group.

“I think that this is just a testament of who coach Mazzulla is,” Pierce said of what has surprised him. “I think he's hands-down the Coach of the Year, because the expectations when we lost all that we lost wasn't there. And for us, like I said, to be in this position now, we're in March, at the end of March, to where we're talking about [how] we can come out of the East. It's just a real possibility. And so, I think he hasn't, Jayson, Jaylen Brown hasn't got enough credit.

“Coach Mazzulla hasn't gotten enough credit for what he's done to develop some of these young guys. It just shows what he's done for the organization. It's exciting, man, just because a lot of us was like, not this year, maybe next year. But now we're weeks away from the playoffs, talking about, wow, we can actually win the East and be in the Finals.”

And Turner, who was an assistant coach in Boston with Mazzulla for the 2020-21 season, couldn’t help but praise his relentless intensity.

“I mean, obviously, he's out of his mind in that sense. I'm saying, like, in a good way,” Turner said. “He just loves to— It's all about competing. He doesn't mind having it turned on 100% of the time. But I think he's an intentional individual. I think he's his own thinker. So, before he became the Celtics, I think he had plans in his mind on becoming the top of the NBA world, the coaching world, at one point.

“So, I think when you meet a lot of guys, and this is the atmosphere, just culture from Brad on down, you meet a lot of ordinary people that have done extraordinary things, and I think that's what you're starting to see. And the consistency of it. They don't choose wrong. This is a high character group.”

Brown and Mazzulla, along with the efforts of the entire roster and coaching staff, got Boston to where it is today. Now, Jayson Tatumis back in the fold, too.

Pierce didn’t talk to Tatum much throughout the course of his recovery. He wanted to give the Celtics superstar space.

“This would be my first time today seeing him [since the injury], saying something to him,” Pierce said. “So, the thing I know about guys when they get in a situation Jayson was in, I had a chance to be around Kevin when he was going through his injury and stuff, sometimes you want to give people some space. I reached out to him one time, I think, via text throughout the process.

“But I think it's a moment to where you want to put yourself in a place to where you're isolated, and you want to grind, you want to work to get back where you need to go, and I'm sure everybody was showing support, but I showed my support from afar. And he knows I'm always there for him if he ever needs anything.”

Turner, who coached him as an assistant, is just happy to see him back on the court.

“It means everything. The game needs Tatum,” Turner said. “He's one of the faces in this generation. So, I think, besides what he's been able to accomplish, I think it's been super cool to follow his story. And I think, whether it be in every movie, in every individual situation, the best stories are the comeback stories. So, I've always been a big admirer of him as an individual and as a young man, and what he's doing now has made me even far more impressed. So, it's definitely cool to see.”

But the success of this season’s Celtics team extends beyond Mazzulla. Beyond Brown. Beyond Tatum, Brad Stevens, and every player and coach on the roster.

It’s a testament to the culture that the Celtics have created for years. An environment that has been created through years of winning, and more importantly, the rejection of losing.

That’s what has made the difference. Winning DNA. A factor that gets lost on those who haven’t lived it.

“I know, it’s crazy. It’s the culture,” Turner said about it getting lost on some fans.

But how does that start? What distinguishes a winning organization from every other team around the league?

“It from just being one or two guys to being a whole team,” Turner said. “So, when I first started noticing, when I coached, and Jayson was lifting after the game. And before you know it, the buses were leaving even later and later. And you're like, dang, more people lifting, more people lifting, more people lifting.

“And I think it's something as simple as not showing up just doing your job, but doing your job with a purpose. So, I think everybody's showing up, trying to do their piece to win a championship. And aside from players thinking that, not many organizations set out to try to win or to win a championship, or be like, hey, we don't do that here.”

The Celtics have been winning this season because of talent, coaching, and roster management. There’s no denying those success stories. But behind the scenes, in the walls of the Auerbach Center, TD Garden, and everywhere else this team has roamed, sits a culture.

Boston just refuses to lose.

“At the end of the day, I think, when it came down to people thinking they weren't be good this year, everybody's like, perfect,” Turner said. “We can focus in, get better, and win like we were supposed to, and less media be here. We can enjoy ourselves. And that's what it's been.”

More highlight quotes from Pierce and Turner

Pierce on past Celtics players returning to Boston: “Well, it's always been like that. Ever since I was here as a player, seeing guys. Like today, I had a chance to see Satch Sanders. Of course, [Cedric] Maxwell. But when I was coming up, there was always times I'd look up, and you see Bob Cousy. You'll see John Havlicek, JoJo White. So, it's always been like that. And these guys would come to our practice also. And it was always open arms to the former players who helped build this place, who helped decorate this place, and that's what Celtic culture is. It lives on through our history, through our culture, and that's something that's always gonna be, no matter who's here as players or coaches or owners. The former players helped build this arena, and they always will be invited back, no matter who's here, I believe.”

Pierce on Tatum and Brown carrying the torch since he's retired:“Yeah, it's been great, man. I mean, I've been happy since Day 1. I always come around and just like, whenever they're in Los Angeles, I try to go check out their workouts. Like I said, this is just a brotherhood. No matter what the age gap is. A lot of the former players were way older than me, but they always found a way to reach out. And that's what I try to do. I try to keep the legacy of what Celtic culture is all about. By coming back to games when I can. I'm happy for them when they reach certain accomplishments. Always pulling for them in the media. When I see things that I don't feel are right, because I feel like Boston players don't get their just due, for the most part. Obviously, Brown not being in the Olympics, Tatum not getting the minutes. I'm always advocating, and pushing for them, and fighting for them. So, that's just what it is, and I love to see these guys be successful.”

Why Boston athletes don’t get their due: “I mean, I'd be jealous if they had everything. We have everything. We got the most championships. I mean, probably the best sports city in all of America. I mean, we are. When you look at it from baseball, football, basketball, hockey. There's gonna be some animosity there. Some resentment toward us.”