Celtics forward Kevin Garnett was viewed by many as the leading candidate to be NBA MVP prior to the abdominal injury that caused him to miss nine games. But if the 2004 NBA MVP had a vote, it would go to Garnett’s teammate, Paul Pierce.
“I got Paul for MVP this year,” said Garnett, who won the award four years ago with Minnesota. “He does a lot of things, just little small things that people don’t see. There are only three people I like to watch on offense, and he’s one of them, man. He makes scoring look easy. He has an uncanny confidence about him that I love, cockiness and self-assurance.
“I told you, there is a reason why I came here. He’s one of the reasons.”
Pierce is also one of the main reasons the Celtics have the NBA’s best record at 50-12.
On a team with three All-Stars and lots of scoring, Pierce is averaging a team-best 20.3 points in 37.2 minutes. He is shooting 45 percent from the field, a career-best 84.4 percent from the line, and his 3-point percentage of 39.5 is his best since the 2001-02 season. He averages 5.3 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.3 steals, and is also the only Celtic who has played in all 62 games (after playing in only 47 last season because of injuries).

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