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The Boston Celtics have canceled their plan to play a short video tribute for Isaiah Thomas on Feb. 11 — the same day that Paul Pierce's jersey will be retired — after Pierce repeatedly said he was uncomfortable with the idea.
Thomas, who was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers over the summer, returned to Boston for a game earlier this month but knew he would not play. He asked whether the Celtics could play their tribute video to him during the Cavaliers' next trip to Boston on Feb. 11, when he would be on the court and could have his family in attendance.
That did not sit well with Pierce.
"I just don't see how, if someone is having a jersey retirement, they're going to be running other tributes for other players," Pierce, now an ESPN analyst, told the network Tuesday. "Danny (Ainge) tried to sell me on it, but I told him, 'He had a shot, Danny, and he punked you on it. He pretty much dictated everything.'
"They let it happen because they felt sorry how (the Cleveland trade) went down. It's guilt. That's what it is."
Pierce told ESPN that he and Ainge, the Celtics' general manager, had a 40-minute conversation during which Ainge offered to cancel Thomas' tribute if that's what Pierce wanted. Pierce said it was. "That's how we left it," Pierce said.
Then, on Tuesday night, Thomas posted on Twitter that he would prefer the Celtics not play the video tribute after all.
"I'd like to thank the Celtics for their gracious offer to play a video tribute on Feb 11th celebrating my 3yrs in Boston," he wrote. "But since it appears this has caused some controversy w/ Paul Pierce's night I'd ask the Celtics instead to focus all of their attention on #34's career."
Ainge told ESPN that he did not immediately realize the overlapping tributes when Thomas first made his request. He said he never intended to distract from Pierce's day.
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"It was only going to be during that segment," Ainge told ESPN. "During the rest of the game, it was going to be all Paul Pierce. But, after listening to Paul's perspective, I understood it and shared it with Isaiah and he understood it, too."
Meanwhile, Pierce's former teammates rushed to defend the 10-time All-Star, who led Boston to a championship in 2008.
"(Thomas) didn’t put in more work than Pierce," former Celtic and current New Orleans Pelicans guard Tony Allen told reporters Tuesday. "Anybody disagree? OK. Paul Pierce put in big work, man. Why would they honor him on that same day, man?"
Contact Tom Schad at tschad@usatoday.com or on Twitter @Tom_Schad.
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