Jason Terry left no doubt. He was taking a little shot at LeBron James.
Terry spoke to the media following the Celtics’ 103-91 win over the Cavaliers on Wednesday, and he wasn’t shy about heaping praise on teammate Paul Pierce, who exploded for 40 points in the victory. Terry, a veteran of 14 NBA seasons, appreciates Pierce’s staying power.
“Not a lot of guys in this league stay in one franchise,” Terry said of Pierce. “You can count them on your hand right now. It’s not many that are superstars, that have been in the league longer than 12-13 years, and he’s one of them.”
Pierce, of course, has spent his entire 15-year NBA career in Boston. Considering the longevity and the success that Pierce has enjoyed, it might not be long before his No. 34 is raised to the TD Garden rafters.
But things haven’t always been rosy during Pierce’s Celtics tenure, and that is what Terry appreciates most about the forward’s lengthy stint in Beantown. Terry points out that Pierce stuck around throughout the tough times, rather than saying, “‘I’m outta here.’ ‘I’m going to go join forces with Kobe [Bryant].’ Or, ‘I’m going to go play with Dwyane Wade.'”
Terry then smirked, winked and admitted, “That’s a shot right there.”
The playful nature of Terry’s comments seem to indicate he was simply messing around with LeBron, but it probably isn’t a coincidence that JET dropped the little jab while James’ former team was still in the building.
Check out the video below to see Terry’s praise and the little knock on King James — and perhaps Dwight Howard, too.
