Paul Pierce Says LeBron James Wouldn't Have 4 NBA Titles If They Were Same Age
Paul Pierce's obsession with LeBron James continued on Wednesday, with the Boston Celtics legend believing his former rival wouldn't have as many NBA titles if they were the same age.
Appearing on Shannon Sharpe's Club Shay Shay podcast, Pierce said he would have prevented James from winning the two titles he got with the Miami Heat if he had come along at the same time as the NBA's all-time scoring leader.
Pierce has never lacked in confidence, but he seems to have a strong desire to try one-up James whenever he can.
For example, after James said over the summer that Kevin Durant is the "most equipped scorer" in NBA history, Pierce responded on FS1's Speak that he is "probably the best pure scorer" ever.
Pierce has also said that James isn't among the five best players in NBA history. One part of his justification for the exclusion was James joined a team of stars when he signed with the Miami Heat rather than trying to build up an organization.
"I go back and I ask myself, 'What has LeBron done to build up any organization from the ground floor?" said Pierce.
There has been an ongoing feud between the two future Hall of Famers for years. Pierce's former teammate Kendrick Perkins said in 2020 that the bitter feelings date back to 2004 when Pierce spit in James' direction on the bench during a preseason game between the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers.
Prior to Game 1 of the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals between the Celtics and Heat, ESPN's Brian Windhorst noted the "closest" James has ever come to a fight in the NBA was with Pierce when "tempers flared" in the hallway during a preseason game at Ohio State in 2004 when the locker rooms for Boston and Cleveland were located next to each other.
One genius part about Pierce's argument that James wouldn't have won two titles with the Heat if they were the same age is that it's impossible to say he's wrong. The Celtics took Miami to seven games in the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals.
If Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen all teamed up in the middle of their primes instead of at the tail end of it, the Celtics might have won more than one NBA title. That could be said about any number of "what if?" groups in the history of the league.
If Michael Jordan had stayed retired, maybe the Orlando Magic with Anfernee Hardaway and Shaquille O'Neal would have turned into a dynastic group. Reggie Miller might have won a championship with the Indiana Pacers.
Game 6 of that series is arguably the signature game of James' career. He finished with 45 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Heat to a 98-79 win and force a decisive seventh game.
Pierce, who is seven years older than James, scored the fewest points (nine) among Celtics starters in Game 6 on 4-of-18 shooting.
Paul Pierce's obsession with LeBron James continued on Wednesday, with the Boston Celtics legend believing his former rival wouldn't have as many NBA titles if they were the same age.
Appearing on Shannon Sharpe's Club Shay Shay podcast, Pierce said he would have prevented James from winning the two titles he got with the Miami Heat if he had come along at the same time as the NBA's all-time scoring leader.
Pierce has never lacked in confidence, but he seems to have a strong desire to try one-up James whenever he can.
For example, after James said over the summer that Kevin Durant is the "most equipped scorer" in NBA history, Pierce responded on FS1's Speak that he is "probably the best pure scorer" ever.
Pierce has also said that James isn't among the five best players in NBA history. One part of his justification for the exclusion was James joined a team of stars when he signed with the Miami Heat rather than trying to build up an organization.
"I go back and I ask myself, 'What has LeBron done to build up any organization from the ground floor?" said Pierce.
There has been an ongoing feud between the two future Hall of Famers for years. Pierce's former teammate Kendrick Perkins said in 2020 that the bitter feelings date back to 2004 when Pierce spit in James' direction on the bench during a preseason game between the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers.
Prior to Game 1 of the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals between the Celtics and Heat, ESPN's Brian Windhorst noted the "closest" James has ever come to a fight in the NBA was with Pierce when "tempers flared" in the hallway during a preseason game at Ohio State in 2004 when the locker rooms for Boston and Cleveland were located next to each other.
One genius part about Pierce's argument that James wouldn't have won two titles with the Heat if they were the same age is that it's impossible to say he's wrong. The Celtics took Miami to seven games in the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals.
If Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen all teamed up in the middle of their primes instead of at the tail end of it, the Celtics might have won more than one NBA title. That could be said about any number of "what if?" groups in the history of the league.
If Michael Jordan had stayed retired, maybe the Orlando Magic with Anfernee Hardaway and Shaquille O'Neal would have turned into a dynastic group. Reggie Miller might have won a championship with the Indiana Pacers.
Game 6 of that series is arguably the signature game of James' career. He finished with 45 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Heat to a 98-79 win and force a decisive seventh game.
Pierce, who is seven years older than James, scored the fewest points (nine) among Celtics starters in Game 6 on 4-of-18 shooting.
