Paul Pierce on how his playoff and Finals rivalries shaped his Hall of Fame journey: “LeBron is the reason I am who I am… I’m not a Hall of Famer if I don’t do those things against him and Kobe”
he’s not wrong but “ hurr durr lebron and kobe are way better hurr durr ” no shit, he still formed a good part of their stories by sending Bron to Miami and stopping kobe from a 2nd 3 peat like MJ woulda had.
“hurr durr Lebron and Kobe are way better”
He may not be as big of a name as either of them, but anyone who truly watched Paul Pierce in his prime – not just Celtics fans, but real students of the game know that when he went up against Kobe or LeBron, he elevated his play. Pierce consistently hit clutch shots, embraced the moment, and at any given time, could be the best player on the floor. He had a knack for outshining guys who, on paper, were ranked higher or clearly more athletic.
The Truth!
That game 5 shot he hit over LeBron in the 2012 ECF still lives rent free in my head. I really thought they were gonna do the impossible and was on cloud 9 until game 6 rolled around lol.
God damnit. The tragedy of game 6 actually appears to have erased that game 5 shot in my head.
He kinda has that Reggie miller thing going on where he was just a star not a super star, but he could rise to the level of a superstar when you needed him to.
Yeah I kinda like this comp. He was better than Reggie though obviously.
Absolutely, the Celtics used to laugh at LeBron in Cleveland, same can be said about Paul Gasol until he elevated his game in 2010
Like yeah, he’s not better than 2 top 10 all time players. He’s still top 40-50
That brings up a good point, JB & JT might need to win another to really be remembered.
I think they gotta feel the same way. 1 Ring and 1 JErsey is really good legacy anywhere but in Boston you gotta win multiple times.
Yup, especially considering 2 of the last 3 seasons the Celtics have lost to inferior opponents in the post-season.
I take solace in the fact that Denver wipes the floor with us in ‘23. We probably lose in 6, possibly 7.
And that last year was just injuries from hell: Porzingis dead; JT’s wrist before his achilles, Jrue missed a couple games as well, JB’s torn meniscus, Hauser missed games. 2025 was never gonna happen due to attrition.
Of course. Especially considering they’ve choked more than they’ve won.
Oh you mean like your daddy, Lebron who’s 4-6 in the Finals? FOH.
Truth
He’d have made the Hall of Fame since he would have continued to make All-Star games, but winning against those guys definitely elevated his legacy
it’s the Reggie Miller thing. He went up against the Knicks and Jordan and it elevated his status. They would’ve been HOFers anyway but not nearly as famous, like a Drexler.