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Paul Pierce: Wall & Beal Must Decide If They Want To Be Good Or Great

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The Washington Wizards slipped a bit this season under the weight of playoff expectations. They’re returning to the post season, but won’t be sneaking up on anybody.

Pierce talked about the poor practice habits of todays NBA players — basically calling the new age of athletes soft and lazy.

Pierce fired some not so subtle jabs at his Wizards backcourt — questioning their desire to be great — while begging for more consistency.

“I talk to them a lot about mental preparation and consistency,” Pierce said. “I keep telling Wall and Beal, ‘You’ve got to make up your mind. Do you want to be good, or do you want to be great? Because if you want to be great, you gotta do it every single night, not just when you feel like it.’

“Both of those guys have the potential to be great. I love them. But sometimes I’m not sure they realize what it takes.

“That was (Rajon) Rondo’s problem, too. Some days he did, some days he didn’t. I think it’s more this generation. A lot of these players have been catered to since the sixth grade. The NBA is changing so much. It’s not like when I came up, with that old-school mentality that practice really mattered. You’ve got these 24, 25 year old guys who sit out of practice now to rest. It’s hard for me to understand, but I’m trying.”

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