Your all-time top five Celtics?

In my book, the first four are easy: Bill Russell, Larry Bird, Bob Cousy, and John Havlicek.

Then it gets tricky. Do you go with Kevin McHale or . . . Paul Pierce?

I have gone down this path before, but with Pierce in town, playing on the parquet floor for perhaps the last time, it seemed like a good idea to revisit the topic. So before the red-hot Celtics took the floor against Doc Rivers and the Los Angeles Clippers, I took votes from some of the legends prowling around the Causeway Street gym Wednesday night before the Celtics’ pulsating, come-from-behind 139-134 victory in overtime.

“I’d have to say Pierce,’’ said Tom Heinsohn, who has seen everything Green since 1956. “He’s the best scorer we’ve had. Bird was a better player, but this guy [Pierce] had all the tools. He was very competitive and a better defender than Bird. Bird made the All-Defensive Team, but that was a joke. Pierce was a much better defender.’’

Pierce had 6 points Wednesday night but he missed a potential tying 3-pointer with 41 seconds left in overtime from the left elbow.

“Paul was more durable,’’ said Cedric Maxwell, who played five seasons with McHale. “In terms of longevity and production, I’d have to have him in the top five. His jersey’s not retired yet, but sometimes that takes a while.’’

Hall of Famer Bob Ryan was a tad conflicted.

“The first four are easy,’’ said Ryan. “There’s no discussion. For the fifth one, it’s either McHale or Pierce. I’d go with McHale if I had to win the game. If you got the ball into Kevin, he was unstoppable. But I’ve always said that Pierce was the greatest pure scorer in Celtics history. He got his shot any time he wanted.’’

Four years ago, I called Cooz to ask him if perhaps Pierce belonged in the all-time Celtics starting five.

“You would have to consider him,’’ acknowledged Cooz. “He’s a viable for that position now.’’

Celtics boss Danny Ainge balked at my top four greats.

“Everybody knows it’s Bill Russell and Larry, but I’d have Kevin third,’’ said Ainge (perhaps Danny’s biased because he played with McHale and McHale traded Kevin Garnett to Ainge’s Celtics). “After those three I’d go with Cooz and Paul and Hondo. But I’m not settling on any two of those three. So I’ve got six guys.’’

Proof that we like to live in the past around here, the Celtics were greeted with one of the largest local media contingents Wednesday night. The Celtics finished Wednesday’s game with 10 wins in their last 12 games. They are sitting in the third spot in the conference. But it took Doc Rivers and Paul Pierce to bring some attention to the Green.

Rivers was his usual political and charming self before the game. He went out of his way to praise Pierce, who has been reduced to a 17-minutes-per-game player. Talking about the Glory Days of the 2007-08 Celtics, Rivers insisted that Pierce should be the one who “gets more credit than all of us.’’

Pierce is surely near the end now. The Clippers are his fourth team in the last four seasons. He was still The Man in playoff crunch time for Washington last spring, but now he takes a back seat behind the likes of Chris Paul, J.J. Redick, and Jamal Crawford. He’s had one 20-point game all season. He scored a total of 22 points in the Clippers’ last five games before coming to Boston. It seems strange for a guy who ranks among the Celtics’ top three in games, minutes, free throws, field goals, and personal fouls. Havlicek is the only Celtic who scored more points than Pierce.

The career milestones keep toppling for Pierce. That’s what happens when you play at his level for 19 seasons. He’s one of only four players who has made 2,000 3-pointers. He and Garnett are the only active players with 25,000 points, 7,000 rebounds, and 4,500 assists. I’d like to tell you that he’s old enough to have played in the Old Garden, but that’s not the case. Pierce’s rookie season was the fourth year for the new joint.

Rivers made Pierce a starter for his Garden (maybe) finale.

Guarded at the start by Jae Crowder, Pierce drained his first shot, a soft 3-pointer from left keytop in the second minute of play. Three minutes later, Isaiah Thomas stepped in front of Pierce and stole a lazy pass, then scored on a breakaway while Pierce gave feeble chase like a aging quarterback who’d just thrown a pick-six.

Was Wednesday Pierce’s last Garden appearance?

“Could be,’’ he said, sounding a little like Peyton Manning last Sunday. “I’m not 100 percent sure. The last two years I’ve said I’m taking it year by year.’’

Celtics fans still love him. As they should. Pierce spent 15 seasons and logged 40,329 minutes for the Green. He was MVP of the 2008 Finals, a series in which he outplayed Kobe Bryant. That was the same series in which he temporarily left Game 1 in a wheelchair.

“It’s a special building with special fans,’’ said Pierce. “I’ll always savor the moments that I spent on this court . . . I’ve come back the last three years and it’s always special.

“Not only on the court but off the court. This is a special place to play . . . 15 long years. I’ve had my time here.’’

There are 21 retired numbers (and one Loscy) on three banners above the parquet floor. Each banner features eight panels and the most recent flag features Robert Parish’s 00 and Max’s 31 above two empty squares waiting to be adorned with green digits.

Paul Pierce’s No. 34 will be next. He’s one of the elite. Maybe even one of the top five Celtics of all time.