The Celtics' do-everything captain engaged LeBron James in a basketball shootout, answering every challenge the Cavs' star could muster and carrying his team practically by himself. Pierce scored 17 points in the fourth quarter alone, dug the Celtics out of a 10-point deficit, handled much of the rebounding (seven) and passing (eight assists), and became the first Boston player since Larry Bird in 1989 to score 50 points in a game.

Naturally, the Celtics lost anyway, when Pierce fouled out in the second overtime.

Such is the current fate of one of the greatest, and perhaps least-appreciated, scorers in the NBA today.

"Paul is having the best season of his career," asserts Celtics general manager Danny Ainge, yet Pierce tonight makes his annual stop in Utah 9 a place that knows something about the difficulty of finding suitable complementary players to put around a superstar 9 seemingly farther than ever from contending for a championship.

Boston is 20-32, on a 2-7 slide with 10 of its next 15 on the road, and already five games behind in the race for a playoff spot. Pierce may lead the Celtics in points, rebounds and assists, but he's about to go 0-for-8 in 50-win seasons.

That's right, the sharpshooter from Kansas has been in the league eight seasons already, has climbed to eighth place among the Celtics' all-time scorers, right between Bill Russell and Dave Cowens, and ranks among the league's top 10 scorers for the fifth time. Yes, his No. 34 is a good bet to someday be sewn on those banners that honor all of Boston's retired numbers.

It's just hard to picture another championship banner in those rafters alongside it.

"Nah, I feel like we're headed in the right direction," Pierce said optimistically during the All-Star festivities last weekend in Houston. "I like the potential of my team. One trade can take an organization to the next level in a hurry, so you can't put a timetable on it. All you can do is set the building blocks in place and keep growing together."

That's the idea anyway, but Ainge is finding it difficult to acquire those blocks. The Celtics tried Ricky Davis as Pierce's partner for more than two seasons, but concluded their games were too similar.

Now Wally Szczerbiak, acquired last month from Minnesota, is the latest sidekick, a move that should allow the 6-foot-6 Pierce to get more time at guard.

"We've got a core group who we can develop together. That's how you win, I know that," Pierce said. "You can't keep moving people in and out and expect to go anywhere."

Actually, some fans were suggesting that Pierce be the one to go last summer, a move that Ainge flatly rejects. After all, Pierce is one of the most durable players in the game - he has missed more than three games only once in his eight seasons - and one of its most consistent. His shooting percentage (.479) and scoring averages (26.4 points) are both at career-high levels, and he ranks among the league's top 30 in rebounds, steals and assists, too.

"Paul has shown great leadership this year. He's shown great intensity," Ainge recently told the Boston Herald. "We're building around Paul, that's always been the case. We had a conversation this summer and we addressed the issue, and since then it's all been a go with Paul. . . . We definitely felt like we wanted to find the right players to go with Paul and maximize what he does for us."

What he would like to do, however, is win. Boston has had only three winning seasons during Pierce's career, never won 50 games, and only once, in 2002, advanced as far as the conference finals. Pierce keeps collecting personal accolades - Sunday's game in Houston was Pierce's fifth All-Star appearance - but "it gets old, man. As the years go by, it definitely gets old," he said of the losing.

Still, young players such as Delonte West and Al Jefferson give Pierce hope that his career won't be as championship-free as John Stockton's and Karl Malone's. "I'm not really thinking about that yet. I've got a lot of good years left," said the 28-year-old Pierce. "There's time to get there. I just have to be patient."

pmiller@sltrib.com

Paul Pierce File

l Has never missed more than 10 games in a season, and sat out more than three in a row only once.

l With 13,461 career points, he currently ranks eighth on the Celtics' all-time list, 1,061 points behind No. 7 Bill Russell,.

l Has averaged more than 20 points for six consecutive seasons.