At 38 years old, Paul Pierce probably doesn’t have too many games left in the tank. According to Brian Scalabrine, though, there’s one part of the Los Angeles Clippers forward’s game that will never diminish.
Scalabrine, a Boston fan favorite who spent five seasons as Pierce’s teammate with the Boston Celtics, was asked in a recent mailbag for The Players Tribune to name the best trash talker he’s ever encountered.
Here was his answer:
“Paul Pierce is the greatest trash talker I’ve ever encountered in this league. (Golden State Warriors forward) Draymond Green holds the crown now, but Paul Pierce was in a class of his own for many, many years.”
According to Scal, it wasn’t just the frequency of Pierce’s barbs that separated him from the pack.
“Paul’s trash talk was devastating because he’s so witty and smart,” Scalabrine added. “I mean, the guy is off the charts smart. It’s one thing to say something outrageous or offensive to throw someone off, but I would hear Paul just cut through guys with his words. And the fact that he was so respected made his insults hurt even more.
“Nobody wants to get told they’re human garbage by The Truth.”
But when Scalabrine — who now is a color analyst on Celtics television broadcasts — was asked to name the best player he’s ever played with in terms of sheer talent, he went with a different member of Boston’s Big Three: Kevin Garnett.
“To play in the league for as long as he has and never really succumb to any major injuries is nothing short of remarkable,” Scalabrine wrote. “Sometimes it’s hard for me to believe that we’re the same species.”
Speaking of species, Scalabrine also was asked to pick his spirit animal, and his response was a “working-class wolf.”
Never change, Scal.
Thumbnail photo via David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports Images
