1. Dec. 2, 2005
For some odd reason, the best performances that Pierce had against the Bulls all came in the month of December. The best overall game score he had in any regular season of playoff game in his career against the Bulls would come on Dec. 2, 2005. The Celtics were looking to rebound from a slow start to the 2005-06 season, coming in with a record of 6-8.
Meanwhile, the Bulls entered with a record of 7-6. The famed baby Bulls teams was in full effect and rolling into what would be the first prominent playoff appearance since the 1990’s. The Bulls were led by a new and talented young core spearheaded by Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon, and Luol Deng.
And the Celtics were starting to age a bit and were rather thin depth-wise around Pierce. That was never more evident than in this eventual Celtics loss to the Bulls in early December 2005. Pierce would register an amazing game-high 43 points on 12-of-21 shooting from the field, 5-of-8 from downtown, and 14-of-18 from the charity stripe.
Pierce would also add 11 rebounds, five assists, four steals, and one block as he was a +3 on the floor in this game. The next-highest point total from the Celtics would be 14 from Mark Blount off the bench. Delonte West and Ricky Davis would flounder in the Celtics starting five alongside Pierce.
The Bulls got a combined 48 points off the bench from Gordon and Deng. Chandler was a beast on the boards, grabbing a game-high 16 rebounds and three blocks to go along with 10 points.