Paul Pierce "Best player" comment, not the first time..

[steved24]

Charles Barkley just said on TNT before the Pistons vs. Celtics that he doesn't think Pierce would have said what he did if he hadn't won a championship.

This is not the first time he said this.. if any of you remember and think back when he first came into the league he was interviewed on Best [dang] Sports Show and they asked him if he thought he was better than Kobe. And he said "Personally, I think I'm the best player in the league.

So why is this all a shocker to everyone? He has a lot of swagger. And he can back it up with a ring.

[Toine43]

What the talking heads like Barkley either can't comprehend or refuse to acknowledge is that it's not all about the style, and it's not all about the stats. Sure, Kobe and Lebron are flashier than Paul Pierce, and they put up better numbers during the regular season. But when Pierce went head to head with Lebron and Kobe on both ends of the floor last year in the playoffs, who won the battle? Paul Pierce. So who's to say that Paul Pierce can't claim he's the best in the league? When he's had the opportunity to prove that statement, he's backed it up.

[Roy Hobbs]

What the talking heads like Barkley either can't comprehend or refuse to acknowledge is that it's not all about the style, and it's not all about the stats. Sure, Kobe and Lebron are flashier than Paul Pierce, and they put up better numbers during the regular season. But when Pierce went head to head with Lebron and Kobe on both ends of the floor last year in the playoffs, who won the battle? Paul Pierce. So who's to say that Paul Pierce can't claim he's the best in the league? When he's had the opportunity to prove that statement, he's backed it up.

Kobe, I'll buy the head to head argument.

Not Lebron, though.  Lebron took a vastly less talented team to within a couple minutes of beating Boston in a seven game series.  He outscored and out-assisted Paul in all seven games, and outrebounded him in the series.  At the very least, Lebron played him evenly, but objectively, I think Lebron was better (and *is* better).

Paul is the second best small forward in the NBA, and has worked himself into the top ten players in the NBA.  That's amazing in and of itself.  Most importantly, he's the perfect player for this team.  However, all that being said, I don't think he's the absolute best.

[TripleThreat]

Regardless of whether he is the best player in the NBA or not, its important for superstars to believe they can beat anybody. That is what makes them a superstar. You don't have to be vocal about it like Pierce but that seems to work well for him. Pierce is one of the best players in the league but I don't know if he's THE best. With that said, he's with out a doubt my favorite player to watch. I still get shivers over his performance in Game 1 last year and his performance against the Pacers a few years ago in the playoffs.

[cornbreadsmart]

what's funny about pierce's comments is that players in the league don't care about that. i don't think kobe,lebron,wade,howard,paul, whoever cares if paul pierce thinks he's the best. because all those guys and probably 50 others think they themselves are the best. everyone thinks this way. i know as a kid at one point i believed i could shoot as  good or better than  any kid in the world from a certain range. deep down i knew it could'nt be true but if you have any doubt then there you have it-that 1% bit of doubt just made you 1% less of a player.

[Toine43]

Also, it's not like Pierce has been all over ESPN screaming that he's the best. He hasn't been cocky about it, he's just confident. And Roy, I don't actually think Paul is the best in the league (I think he's close), but my point is that it's certainly not out of the quesiton that he is, and I don't think he gets enough credit from people who only look at stats.