The 1,000-game club

March, 6, 2010
3/06/10
3:18
PM ET
AP PhotoMichael Finley is one of four Celtics with over 1,000 career games played.
With the addition of Michael Finley, the Celtics now boast four of nine active players that have logged 1,000 career games or more.

Finley (1,082 games) joins Kevin Garnett (1,104), Rasheed Wallace (1,066), and Ray Allen (1,001) on a list topped by Shaquille O'Neal (1,170). Paul Pierce is tied with Mike Bibby for 23rd overall at 863 games.

According to Elias Sports Bureau, the Celtics are just the third team in NBA history to have four or more players with over 1,000 career games. The others are the 2000-01 Toronto Raptors with Kevin Willis, Charles Oakley, Mark Jackson, and Tyrone Corbin, and the 1997-98 Rockets with Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley, Clyde Drexler, Eddie Johnson, and Willis.

How, exactly did having that sort of veteran presence help those squads in the postseason?

The 2000-01 Raptors finished fifth in the Eastern Conference at 47-35 overall, then bowed to the Philadelphia 76ers in the conference semifinals. The 1997-98 Rocks finished eighth in the Western Conference at 41-41, then lost to the Utah Jazz in the first round of the playoffs.

Chris Forsberg

Celtics reporter, ESPNBoston.com

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TEAM LEADERS

POINTS
Paul Pierce
PTS AST STL MIN
19.4 4.5 1.1 34.0
OTHER LEADERS
ReboundsK. Garnett 8.2
AssistsR. Rondo 11.7
StealsR. Rondo 1.8
BlocksJ. O'Neal 1.7