Tag: Paul Pierce

Should some of the league’s older stars avoid the Olympics?

Should some of the NBA’s older stars avoid heading to the 2024 Paris Olympics?

Team USA has named an All-Star cast for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Jayson Tatum and Jrue Holiday will represent the Boston Celtics. However, the majority of the roster is comprised of superstar names who are on the final stretch of their career. LeBron James, 39, will spearhead the national team’s attempt to secure Olympic Gold in the summer.

In a recent episode of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce‘s ‘The Ticket and the Truth’ podcast, the former Celtics champions debate whether it’s smarter for some of the league’s older or more injury-prone players to step away from Olympic duty to preserve themselves for the 2024-25 season.

Joel Embiid has been showing the effects of his meniscus surgery. Kawhi Leonard has been dealing with knee inflammation. LeBron is aging. As such, players like Jaylen Brown may be more deserving of the opportunity to represent their country in Paris.

You can hear Garnett and Pierce give their thoughts on the subject by clicking on the embedded video above.

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James Harden credits Boston Celtics legend Paul Pierce among influences

The former MVP modelled some of his game on the Boston Celtics legend.

James Harden is one of the most unstoppable scorers of his generation. In his prime, he dominated the NBA with his fearsome step-backs and dead-eye shooting ability. He is now with the LA Clippers as they search for the first championship in franchise history.

During a recent interview with Andrew Grief of The Ringer, Harden discussed some of his biggest influences on the basketball court. He noted how Boston Celtics legend Paul Peirce was among his favorite players growing up. Harden admitted that he developed his step-back and mid-range game by watching Pierce’s play.

“Growing up in Los Angeles, Harden says he studied three central influences who “formed me into who I am”: Kobe Bryant for his dynamism; Paul Pierce for his physicality, stepbacks, and midrange jumpers; and Manu Ginobili—a fellow lefty—for his downhill drives, side steps, and twisting finishes at the rim,” Grief wrote.

Pierce was one of the most clutch scorers in the NBA during his tenure in the league. He was also a purse shooter and a legitimate threat in isolation. When looking back at Harden’s prime, it’s easy to see the influence shining through.

Now, with Harden in the final stages of his career, there are players entering the league having built their game on what they saw from him during his prime. As such, there will be hints of Pierce’s playstyle in the NBA for generations to come. That’s what happens when you’re one of the greats: their impact is always visible if you look close enough.

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Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce weigh in on NIL’s impact on the college game

The change in how the NCAA game works in terms of compensation has had some major impacts on the college game.

The 2024 NCAA Tournament is over, UConn the champs, and most of the college basketball world now focused on the 2024-25 season ahead. But perhaps more than ever, the impact of the “name, image, likeness” rules that allow college players to make money off of endorsements.

Known more commonly as NIL, the change in how the NCAA game works in terms of compensation has had some major impacts on the college game. And not all bad, either. But can this band-aid fix a more substantial issue of athlete compensation at the college level? Or will so-called “student athletes” end up getting paid outright?

To talk over what NIL means for the college game and the wider world of basketball, Boston Celtics Hall of Famers Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett recently weighed in on the phenomenon on a recent episode of the “Ticket and the Truth” podcast.

Check it out above for yourself!

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Paul Pierce on what LeBron James winning NBA title this year would mean

Paul Pierce thinks LeBron James would reach the mountaintop of individual NBA greatness if he wins the world championship this year.

Some people think LeBron James is already the greatest player in NBA history. Others think he is second or third on the list of the greatest players ever, and some think he ranks significantly lower.

Regardless of where he objectively ranks, his career isn’t over yet. He’s still putting up impressive numbers this season, and there are those who believe the Los Angeles Lakers could make an unexpectedly deep run in this year’s playoffs.

Former Boston Celtics star Paul Pierce, who was once one of James’ biggest rivals, thinks if the 39-year-old wins this year’s NBA championship, it would mean he would be the undisputed greatest player ever.

Pierce’s reasoning is that James would have a comeback from a 3-1 deficit in the 2016 NBA Finals against the 73-9 Golden State Warriors and a ring as a very low seed on his resume.

Last season, the Lakers went to the Western Conference finals as the Western Conference’s seventh seed. If they win the world title this season, they would have to overcome very stiff competition, beginning in the play-in tournament.

That would mean getting past the defending champion Denver Nuggets, whom L.A. simply doesn’t seem able to beat.

But if the team were to down Nikola Jokic and company and finish the job in the NBA Finals, it would certainly be yet another notch on James’ belt.

Ray Allen discusses his time with the Boston Celtics

Ray Allen discussed his Boston Celtics tenure during a recent podcast interview with JJ Redick.

Ray Allen was part of the Boston Celtics 2008 championship-winning team. However, his tenure ended sourly, as he left to join the LeBron James-led Miami Heat in 2012. Nevertheless, Allen enjoyed a strong five-year run with the Celtics, averaging 16.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 358 regular season games.

During a recent appearance on JJ Redick’s “Old Man and the Three” podcast, Allen discussed his tenure with the Celtics and his time with the Heat. He also touched on his championship runs and what he’s been doing during his retirement from the league.

Allen also discussed the sacrifices it takes to win a championship, especially when playing on a team that is stacked with talent. He was the third star next to Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce during the 2008 run, and then behind LeBron and Dwyane Wade with the Heat.

You can watch Allen’s full interview with Redick by clicking on the embedded link above.

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Paul Pierce believes he was more clutch than LeBron James

While on the “All Facts No Brakes” podcast, Paul Pierce made a bold claim about his ability while in the pressure cooker.

Over the years, there has been plenty of discussion about just how great LeBron James has been in crunch time. Some have accused him of being less than stellar in such situations and have criticized him for passing the ball rather than taking the big shot or trying to draw a foul and get to the free-throw line. On the other hand, he has hit a large number of clutch shots during his 21-year NBA career.

In his early years, one of his biggest individual rivals was Paul Pierce. Pierce, who spent most of his career with the Boston Celtics, was deadly in crunch time, and the Celtics loved to get him the ball at the free-throw line extended with a game on the line.

While on the “All Facts No Brakes” podcast, Pierce was asked if he was more clutch than James, and he agreed (h/t Lakers Daily).

Whether it was fact or fiction that Pierce was better under pressure than James, James has clearly been a better overall player than the deserving Hall of Famer could’ve ever dreamed of being. Facts.

Paul Pierce isn’t impressed with Lakers’ blowout win over the Hawks

Paul Pierce hit the Lakers with some criticism following their blowout win over the Hawks on Monday — and he was right.

The Los Angeles Lakers lost three critical games recently — two to the Sacramento Kings and one to the Golden State Warriors. It virtually killed their chances of finishing in the top six in the Western Conference and avoiding the play-in tournament, and it’s almost a lock they will finish either ninth or 10th in the Western Conference.

Los Angeles looked good on Monday when it pounded the Atlanta Hawks 136-105. Its balanced offense led to six players scoring in double figures, 23 fast-break points and 39 assists. These numbers the team is capable of putting up on a consistent basis.

However, it doesn’t do so on a consistent basis, and its defense has been even more problematic lately. That is why former Boston Celtics star Paul Pierce seemed totally unimpressed with Monday’s blowout win over a sub-.500 Hawks team that was without All-Star Trae Young. His reasoning is the Lakers need to play this well offensively more often, especially against quality teams, which he feels they’re capable of doing.

We hate to say this, given the fact that Pierce was a major antagonist for the Lakers back during the Kobe Bryant era, but Pierce is right. Not only have this season’s Lakers not won consistently enough against quality teams, but they have dropped the ball many times and lost to inferior teams, often by wide margins.

The play-in tournament will be difficult for them, and if they get past it, the first round of the playoffs, which could put them against the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets, will not be any easier. With just over three weeks left in the regular season, now is the time for the Lakers to start building and ingraining good habits in earnest.

Right now is their play-in tournament.

Paul Pierce: LeBron James needs to give up the ball a little more

Former NBA star Paul Pierce feels LeBron James has been trying a little too hard to will the Lakers to victory.

The Los Angeles Lakers faced two critical games with playoff implications in recent days versus the Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors, only to lose both contests. As a result, they find themselves in 10th place in the Western Conference, and their lead over the 11th-place Houston Rockets (3 1/2 games) isn’t necessarily safe.

LeBron James was strangely passive during the Sacramento game. On the other hand, he scored 40 points versus the Warriors. Thirteen of those 40 points game in the fourth quarter, when L.A. was battling from behind and received almost nothing from its other players.

Paul Pierce, one of James’ most fierce rivals early in his career, said on Fox Sports 1’s “Undisputed” that James needs to defer to his teammates more (h/t Lakers Daily).

“He gotta give the ball up a little more,” said Pierce. “Since All-Star break, look at his numbers: 29, nine and seven, 50% from the field, 45 from 3. It’s not resultin’ in wins.

“When LeBron sat out, who’d they beat? Milwaukee, a contender. D-Lo (D’Angelo Russell) had 40. They went to Boston and got a win without LeBron.”

“I think he’s older, he needs to take a step back,” Pierce continued. “The less he does, the more it’s gonna be for the team. And that’s not a bad thing.”

In general, James has taken at least a bit of a step back this season. He’s averaging 25.5 points a game, which is 3.4 points fewer than last season’s average. In addition, his usage rate is at 29.3%, which is the lowest it’s been since his rookie season.

While the Lakers need to continue to trim his workload and responsibilities, when he’s faced with a situation such as the one he was in during the fourth quarter of Saturday’s game, he has no choice but to take over. That’s part of a superstar’s responsibilities — he must take things over, almost all by himself, when his team isn’t playing well and his teammates aren’t pulling enough of their own weight.

Fellow superstar Anthony Davis left the game late in the first quarter after getting poked in the eye, which put even more of an offensive burden on James. It likely wasn’t the type of game in which he would’ve been best off deferring to his teammates.

Paul Pierce discusses Victor Wembanyama potentially winning awards

Hall-of-Famer Paul Pierce recently spoke about whether or not San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama can win ROTY and/or DPOY.

So far this season, the San Antonio Spurs have struggled. They’ve been the worst teams in the Western Conference for almost the entire season, but that’s okay. And it’s okay because they have a clear-cut future centerpiece. Victor Wembanyama has been absolutely amazing this season and should be the face of the Spurs organization for years to come.

Wembanyama is already one of the best defensive players in the NBA, and his offensive skillset is impressive as well. He’s been so great that folks around the league have begun talking about him as a candidate for multiple NBA awards by season’s end.

NBA Hall-of-Famer Paul Pierce recently discussed whether or not Wembanyama could win Rookie of the Year and/or Defensive Player of the Year, and the CLAN the SPURS fan YouTube channel reacted to it.

It seems unlikely that Wembanyama will win DPOY, but he has a real shot at winning ROTY.

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Celtics Hall of Famer Paul Pierce opens up on being fired from ESPN

Paul Pierce discussed his release from ESPN in the debut episode of his new podcast, “The Truth Lounge.”

Paul Pierce was released from ESPN in 2021. He had been working with the media company since retiring from his legendary NBA career, where he helped the Boston Celtics win a championship in 2008. His release from the company followed an Instagram Live that saw Pierce partying with a number of people, including multiple dancers.

In the video, people can be seen smoking and drinking. Pierce appeared inebriated during the live video. The footage quickly went viral. During a recent episode of his new podcast, “The Truth Lounge,” Pierce discussed his well-documented exit.

“It was all going down,” Pierce said. “It was my boy’s birthday. Poker game. And I’m feeling good. I’m enjoying retirement. It’s poker night…I was caught in the moment. What you want me to do? I’m in the moment…Me not knowing that you can record it, people can record it, send it out. That’s one thing I didn’t know about going live…Then, I got the call the next day, ‘Hey, Mr. Pierce. I’m sorry, we’re going to let you go. Disney has a morals clause.’ I was like, damn…I got fired for literally having a good time.”

Since leaving ESPN, Pierce has become a successful podcaster alongside Kevin Garnett on the “KG Certified” podcast and has begun branching out within the Showtime podcast sphere.

Nevertheless, Pierce’s release from ESPN didn’t sit right with him, which is why he used the opening minutes of his debut podcast to set the record straight. Now, he’ll likely focus on pushing his career forward in the new mediums he’s embracing. The Truth knows how to win, so it’s going to be fun watching him on this journey.

Listen to the “Green With Envy” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3DoLhYK

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3Oj4dhD

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3K8MbvY

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