Paul Pierce hinted after the Wizards devastating loss to the Hawks, that he may indeed be done with basketball.
That would be disheartening for so many fans who enjoyed watching him over the years. It’s likely to have an effect on the guys he competed against.
None more than LeBron James.
When you think of a rival or a thorn in James’ side, it was more Paul Pierce than Joakim Noah. During an exclusive sit down with Cleveland.com, James said competing against Pierce in huge playoff matchups, “forced him to get better.”
“Obviously if he says he’s not quite sure about next year, but he’s Double-P man,” James said to NEOMG. “I’ve been competing against him my whole career and our battles that we’ve had, our differences that we’ve had. But you know one thing about it, when you face him; you’re going to always compete. I wish him the best in whatever he decides to do.”
Pierce was to LeBron, what Isiah Thomas and the Pistons were to Michael Jordan. When Pierce was still with Boston, his team bounced James and the Cavaliers out of the second round of the playoffs in 2008 and 2010.
Once LeBron finally got over the hump, he started to dominate those matchups.
In three of the last four postseason appearances, James and the Heat sent Pierce packing each time.
Obviously he gets a Cliff note or a couple notes in my book as far as guys that helped me get over the hump or kept me where I was at the time,” James recognizes. “I knew I had to become much better individually. He’s one of those guys.”