Celtics Basketball > Celtics History

Paul Pierce Appreciation thread

(1/4) > >>

ManUp:
I just wanted to make this thread because I feel like people have forgotten how good Paul Pierce really was. It bothers me when I read things like Isaiah could end up being the best Celtics scorer since Bird. Or how when Pierce gets mentioned they talk about him as this floor bound crafty Veteran who wasn't all that exciting to watch but was just really effective. IMHO, Pierce is the most underrated player of his generation if he were in the league today in his prime he'd be a top 10-15 player. His legacy was basically trashed because he stuck around for a rebuild process and wasted some of his best years.

There seem to be some misconceptions about him due to fans tuning in right at the start of the big 3 era. Keep in mind he was 29 then that's pretty much smack dab in the middle of most players prime years (27-32 nba prime years, IMO) he was polished but athletically he was starting to decline. That combined with his reduced role in the offense due to him accommodating a new system for the greater good on a contending team. But still when things fell apart and the offense was stagnant he would come to save the day with his superman(old school Pierce pre-big 3) act.

KG after Pierce saves the day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9m34vzN6tg


There are 2 major misconceptions about Pierce.

Misconception 1: He wasn't an exciting player to watch. Completely false he when he was on it was a shot more so than Isiah, IMO. He could get turnover prone but he did a lot with the ball (crossovers, hesistations, step-backs, spins there is no move he didn't have to get his shot off).  He was also good for the occasional dunk/facial.

Misconception 2: He was slow and unathletic.  False again. He was far from unatheletic if anything he was an above average athlete, if you watched him before the big 3 came to town you should know that. He wasn't Vince or Kobe but he was pretty much just a notch or so below them. On a scale of 1-10 I would've put Pierce as a solid 7, Kobe being an 8.5 and Vince a 10.

I mean this in the nicest way possible, but Isaiah couldn't shine Pierces shoes on the basketball court. That's how far I feel the gap is between the two. Hopefully we keep this thread going and people keep adding stuff.

Video with a lot of pre big 3 Pierce clips: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrJBFUsRmJY

The difference between Pierce and Isiah is when Pierce has it going there's nothing you can do to stop him. No defender no game plan, ask Lebron or Kobe.

I miss Paul Pierce.

"I try to give the game, what I feel it needs" Paul Pierce

GreenFaith1819:
One of my favorite videos from Paul Pierce and the Big Three era.

Once he got going not much was stopping him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2aZTzcHYBI&feature=related

Loved his dunk on Camby and the Nuggets AND when he got rolling against rookie Durant and the Sonics.

The Captain will NEVER get old around these parts.

ThaPreacher:
TP!   You speak the Truth, nothing but the Truth!

All Time Great! All Celtics Team!

MBunge:
The problem with Pierce is that the NBA is a rep league and once a player gets a certain rep, it's very hard to shake it.

Before KG came on board and they won a title, Pierce had been cemented in a lot of people's minds as a guy who'd had a brief run at NBA relevance with 'Toine and then slid back to being a non-superstar.  He was in the category with guys like Rashard Lewis, maybe at the top of that category but definitely not in the group a step above.  Go back to 2007 and ask people "Pierce or Vince Carter" and most probably would have said VC, even though Pierce was the better player at both his peak and over time.

Now, even thought he's got that ring, it's too easy for those old opinions to resurface.

Mike

2short:
Ever since Paul turned it around (see night club stabbing and Indy series with bandages) by far my favorite "all time" celtic of his generation.  I put him up there with bird, Hondo, Russ etc.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page