"The Case For The Truth"

[Bahku]

Great read from this week's SI by Jack McCallum:


There are some guys you just want. Not because they're the prettiest, or the easiest to deal with, or even the most statistically reliable. You want them because, when the wind blows and the dark clouds roll in, they're the guys who walk to the end of the high board, raise a middle finger to the cosmos and take the plunge.

Paul Pierce is one of those guys.

During the years that I was the regular NBA beat man for SI, I'd ask coaches and general managers to name a guy they'd like to have, excepting the usual suspects of Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and LeBron James. They would ponder the question and offer a surprising answer, "Pierce." No doubt the Boston captain had antagonized them with his operatic chest pounding and his I'm-a-Celtic-and-you're-not attitude. But Pierce had also likely inserted an end-of-the-game dagger into each of their hearts.

"He's as good as anybody in clutch situations," says Suns coach Alvin Gentry, "but for whatever reason nobody talks about him in the same vein as Kobe and Dwyane Wade and those guys. I tell you this—I do not want to see Paul Pierce with the ball and the game on the line."

I've heard something like that from sources as diverse as Larry Bird, who played a rarefied version of Paul Ball (earthbound, reckless, gutsy, clutch), and Mike D'Antoni, who preaches a shoot-it-quick attack that contrasts with the deliberate, probing half-court style with which Pierce is most comfortable.


Full article is here.

[OsirusCeltics]

Paul Pierce is my favorite player. I have no idea why he's not in the same breath as Lebron, Wade, Kobe, Durant, etc.

The difference between him and the rest of the players is his lack of highlight plays. Its this ESPN era where highlight players get more attention than "earth bound players". Pierce is hands down the most versatile offensive player in the league. He's the most clutch IMO
Theres nothing he can't do
Post play, 3 point shot, pull up jumper, driving ability, 17 ft jumper, backdoor plays, pick and roll, pick and pop, iso, spot up shooter. He's just masterful, and does it at his own pace
Slow motion for meh!!

[ACF]

Great read, thanks.

[makaveli]

During the years that I was the regular NBA beat man for SI, I'd ask coaches and general managers to name a guy they'd like to have, excepting the usual suspects of Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and LeBron James. They would ponder the question and offer a surprising answer, "Pierce." No doubt the Boston captain had antagonized them with his operatic chest pounding and his I'm-a-Celtic-and-you're-not attitude. But Pierce had also likely inserted an end-of-the-game dagger into each of their hearts.

SUMS THE MAN UP... <3 PP