Did Paul Pierce Motivate LeBron James During Celtics-Cavs Game 7?

Paul Pierce was in attendance for Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals on Sunday, but while The Truth helped fire up the TD Garden crowd, he might have made a terrible mistake when it mattered most.

Pierce sat courtside for the win-or-go-home contest between the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers. Given his proximity to the action, the C’s legend took it upon himself to say something to LeBron James as the fourth quarter got underway.

You can see Pierce try to get in James’ ear in the video here.

It’s tough to make out what Pierce is saying, but given his past rivalry with the star forward, one has to assume that it was some form of trash talk. And if it was, James certainly got the last laugh.

James dropped a game-high 35 points to go along with 15 rebounds and nine assists to lead Cleveland to its fourth consecutive NBA Finals. In fact, James posted 12 points, four assists and three rebounds in the fourth quarter alone.

While James likely was more than motivated for the series finale, it wouldn’t be surprising if Pierce’s comments gave him a little boost.