Paul Pierce is a Boston Celtics legend, NBA champion and Hall of Famer, but Kevin Garnett believes Pierce actually never reached his ceiling. In a new episode of KG: Certified, Garnett playfully took a dig at Pierce by calling out his sub-par defense.
“I thought you was gonna be MVP at some point,” Garnett told Pierce. “You (didn’t play) no defense, though. … (When) you get mad, that’s when you play D. But when you out there, (you’re) just cruising,” Garnett continued.
Pierce attempted to defend himself by claiming, perhaps legitimately, that he played hard defense during his first couple of years in the NBA, but the comment ultimately backfired.
“My second year, my first … I was out here getting steals,” Pierce said.
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“That’s it,” Garnett replied. “First, second. After that, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, ain’t no D.”
Pierce then pivoted and made a good point about the fact that he logged heavy minutes for the Celtics, preventing him from sustaining elite defensive effort.
“I was playing like 45 minutes (a game),” he said.
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It was a hilarious and authentic interaction from two teammates who got to the mountaintop together in 2008 as champions.
Pierce and Garnett’s NBA relationship continued beyond Boston when they were both traded to the Brooklyn Nets in 2013, a deal that landed the Celtics the pick they’d later use to draft Jayson Tatum.
It’s always great to hear Garnett and Pierce talking about their playing days. You can tell they have a ton of mutual respect for one another, and KG can be really funny when he’s serving truth to former teammates, in this case, The Truth himself.
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Featured image via David Richard/USA TODAY Sports
