The Full Court Press 7.31.08: The Lovable, Laughable Paul Pierce
Posted by Brandon Crow on 07.31.2008
Paul Pierce proclaimed himself "the best player in the world." Seriously, Paul?
I admit, I did a double take.
But come on, who wouldn't?
Last night, as I was surfing the web before hitting the sack, I ran across an interesting little story. While in Madrid, Paul Pierce was asked by a reporter if he believed Kobe Bryant to be the best player in the world. To which, "The Truth" said, "I don't think Kobe is the best player. I'm the best player. There's a line that separates having confidence and being conceited. I don't cross that line but I have a lot of confidence in myself."
....
...
...
Sorry about that. I had to pick myself up from the floor.
I don't know whether to feel insulted or just laugh. Pierce is traipsing the world calling himself the best player in the world?
Question 1: Why is Paul Pierce in Spain? Presumably on vacation. If he's the best player in the world, why didn't he get selected to play on the US Olympics team? You'd think the US would want the best player in the world on their squad considering the embarrassment they've suffered in recent years.
Question 2: How many rings does Paul Pierce have? One. One ring, and he's the best player in the world? Is that the criterion now? Well, if that's the case, than Kobe is three times better than the best player in the world. Shaq, who's still active in the NBA (though many of us naturally forget this), would be four times better. Shoot, even former teammate James Posey would be twice as good as the self-proclaimed best player in the world.
Question 3: How many playoff appearances did Pierce make in the course of his ten-year career? Four. How many active players have appeared more times in the playoffs than Pierce? Let's take Robert Horry for example...where do you exactly stack up against Horry, then, Paul? Even the man Pierce is absolutely disrespecting, Kobe Bryant, has made ten playoff appearances. And that's in 12 NBA seasons.
Question 4: If Pierce is the best player in the world, then how come he could barely do a thing with Wally Szcerbiak and Delonte West when they played for the Celtics. But once they made their way to Cleveland, LeBron James took them to the second round?
Question 5: There's no denying Pierce is talented and had a spectacular finals series against the Lakers. But then again, if Kobe Bryant had Vladimir Radmonovic guarding him, how many points would Kobe have totaled?
Question 6: Why would the best player in the world need to fake an injury in Game 1 just to stack the odds in his favor of becoming Finals MVP? Seriously, just before half time, Pierce was on the ground, "rolling in pain" for a long time. He had to be wheeled to the back. And he comes back a few minutes into the third quarter? What happened? Did the Celtics trainer have some "miracle water" on hand that he borrowed from the soccer players?
I confess, I'm a die-hard Lakers fan and a big Kobe fan. But this is no knee-jerk reaction. Paul Pierce calling himself the best player in the world, especially in a question where Kobe Bryant was specifically put up, is completely farcical.
I think there is only one person in the world that believes Pierce is the best baller in the whole wide world. No, not Pierce himself. Paul Pierce Mama!
Pierce may have won a championship (his only one) at the expense of Kobe Bryant. But Pierce is no Kobe Bryant. Not even close. Remove Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett and what has Pierce done? Nothing of note. With Kobe, he at least got the Lakers to the playoffs without Shaq, without a blossomed Andrew Bynum, and without Pau Gasol.
What's saddest here is that there were many fans who actually were happy to see Pierce win a title; and they weren't just Celtics fans. Unfortunately, winning (even if one time) can go quickly to some people's heads. I'm saddened to see Pierce, who up to now, hasn't won or done anything of note in the NBA, handle winning so poorly and ungraciously.
"I confess, I'm a die-hard Lakers fan and a big Kobe fan."
^ well, there's the bias.
paul pierce has been "one of the best"
b-ball players in the world for around
a decade. he just won a ring against
kobe's lakers and was named finals MVP.
why does a reporter have the nerve to
ask him if kobe's the best player in the
world? that's just media hype. i'm glad
he grew a pair and spoke his mind,
instead of putting out the "kobe is
God" auto- message. as a professional
b-ball player, you should NEVER say
someone is better than you while you
are still competing. save your praise
and adversarial respect for retirement.
Posted By: thesonicvision (Registered) on July 31, 2008 at 01:23 AM
kid.. u have no clue wtf ur talkn bout.. pierce isnt on da team becuase he declined 3 years ago to be on it.. nd u needa check ur stats cuz pierce has made da playoffs so many times.. nd ur talkn bout him not doin anytin wit sczerbiack nd delonte. but wat bout dem times wit WALKER
Posted By: sedin (Guest) on July 31, 2008 at 02:37 AM
Pierce won one ring. How does that make him better than Kobe?
Perhaps you'd like to also quote what I said after "my confession."
Posted By: Brandon Crow (Registered) on July 31, 2008 at 02:57 AM
This is a terrible article. I am a die hard Celtics fan, and I know Paul Pierce isn't the best player in the world. But you as a Laker fan should be able to write something a little more quality than this with such a good plot line to the story. Get it together and make it worth reading.
Posted By: KM (Guest) on July 31, 2008 at 10:22 AM
Paul Pierce threw it down like a real g and won the championship. Damn its lonely at the top.
Posted By: Polish Post (Guest) on July 31, 2008 at 11:16 AM
you 2 are just wack ass pierce fans. he is a fake and that is that. LeBron James, Allen Iverson, Carmello Anthony, all the announcers (who were ex-basketball players) ALL SAY KOBE IS THE GREATEST IN THE WORLD! EVEN PLAYERS ON THE OLYMPIC TEAMS AND EVEN FROM DIFFERENT COUNTRIES! So back down already, paul didnt even make the Olympic team. He is just mad that he didn't. Paul is good, not better then Kobe. NO WHERE CLOSE TO THE REAL MVP.
Posted By: jbeezy (Guest) on July 31, 2008 at 11:50 AM
Yeah I'm with the first two comments, even as blatantly illiterate as they might be written. The bias of this article is painful. First it goes over the same tired old arguments that have been thrown at any one of a dozen great basketball players:
"blah blah .. didn't win enough rings..."
"... counting playoff appearances are the true measure of a man!"
".. declined Olympic participation or was overlooked by committee... etc."
And the bits about Wally/Delonte and the "faked" injury are borderline asinine. For one, LeBron+BigZ+Varejeao could have taken Earl Boykins and Mugsy Bogues to the second round. You'd still have the size advantage against any other team in the east.
And the knee injury was no acting job. Unfortunately, I've since learned that anyone capable of believing that it was an acting job already has their head so far up a hole that they'll never accept any other explanation anyway. But aside from the simple fact that if you ask any medical professional that deals with knee trauma they'll explain to you that the body has a natural reaction to even mild knee sprains that causes the knee to act like you just shattered it into a million pieces, I'll put up a couple other bits of info:
- I once saw Rahgib "Rocket" Ishmael carried off a football field after a knee injury. He returned to the game. What a faker.
- Personal experience (which I'm sure you will choose to disbelieve or discredit): I've been the unpleasant recipient of four knee injuries of varying severity. In all cases I was initially immobilized - had to either drag myself along by my hands or be carried off - and after 5-15 minutes was able to stand up under my own power. Now in two of those cases my knee swelled up after an hour or so and I was immobile for several weeks. In the other two cases I had only lingering soreness and tendinitis. But for sure, each injury very much felt like the end of the world for the first few minutes. Barring a few freaks of nature, that's just how it works for most of us folks. Knee sprains aren't like ankle sprains. There's no "walking it off" - if you try to get up before the initial shock of the sprain has passed, you'll just fall over anyway (assuming you can bear to move the joint at all), and most of the time you get carried off the floor before that 5-15 minutes has passed, whether you want to be carried off or not.
So enough with the stupid "fake injury" bull. It should be embarrassing to admit that you could even believe it was faked at all.
So yeah, is Pierce the best in the world? Probably not. Should people feel such a need to discredit it that they contrive a list of wildly circumstantial arguments? We can only wish that wasn't the case.
Posted By: Lone (Guest) on July 31, 2008 at 01:04 PM
Celtics won championship because of KG
Posted By: dude (Guest) on July 31, 2008 at 03:16 PM
thesonicvision:
I agree, Kobe isn't me. But even I have to admit that Kobe is the best player in the world.
Posted By: God (Guest) on July 31, 2008 at 03:41 PM
Who did he beat to get that ring he's wearing on his finger?
Posted By: Guest#0217 (Guest) on July 31, 2008 at 03:46 PM
sedin:
the self-proclaimed "best player in the world" declined to play in the Olympics, an actual world stage, where he can prove he's the best player...hmm...
Polish Post:
you said, "damn, it's lonely at the top." KG, Ray Allen. Apparently, it's not so lonely for Pierce.
Lone:
I don't disbelieve or discredit your assertions about knee injuries. And for you to assume that I would says a lot.
I played high school and collegiate basketball and have suffered nearly every basketball injury possible, from stupid finger jams to severe ankle breaks. Thank goodness I've never torn an ACL or ruptured my achilles tendon.
So, in this regard, I stand with you. I know and understand knee injuries. And what you say is right; regardless of how mild or severe the injury ultimately is, initially it always feels like death with a hot poker. I remember laying on the ground for a long time with all of them.
However, no matter the knee injury, I've never been able to play a second half of a game ten minutes later, or to continue on an every other day basis, at the level that the finals require it.
I'm no professional baller either, nor do I possess their trainers or therapeutic techniques, but I just can't believe that after an injury to the knee, he comes back and has the game/series he had. Guts is one thing; reality is another.
Posted By: Brandon Crow (Registered) on July 31, 2008 at 03:52 PM
Hey Lone,
If we don't use championships won, number of rings earned, playoff appearances and other such stats, what are we to use to measure success in professional sports? Number of people in his entourage? Number of exotic cars parked in his garage? Number of women who throw panties at him?
Posted By: The Yard Stick (Guest) on July 31, 2008 at 03:55 PM
Paul Pierce proclaiming himself the best player in the world while Kobe Bryant is around is like Eli Manning saying he's the best quarterback in the world because he beat Tom Brady once.
Or Padraig Harrington calling himself the best golfer in the world when a reporter asks him if Tiger Woods is the best.
Posted By: Laughing My Ass Off! (Guest) on July 31, 2008 at 03:58 PM
Its really pathetic how people in this world have to always put someone else down for having confidence in themselves. Everyone has a right to their opinion. If Kobe is so great how many rings have he won without Shaq? Plus, can't be great when you're whinnying like a little child every season about something. "I WANT JERRY WEST" and "I WANT TO BE TRADED." Wheres the greatness in that?
Posted By: TWilliams (Guest) on July 31, 2008 at 04:25 PM
DO NOT hate the player. Just because he's got game!
Posted By: BobZ (Guest) on July 31, 2008 at 06:52 PM
Why is it everywhere I go there are Laker Haters? Damn, shut up. Kobe is the best, just admit it. Paul Pierce is good but Pierce won that ring because of his stacked team. How come he never won a ring with the old Celtics? If Bynum was healthy I'd bet a million dollars they would've beaten the Tics'.
Posted By: RawManiac (Guest) on July 31, 2008 at 06:59 PM
alrite.. he declined.. das my point.. dis dude in da article is trying to say that he wasnt good enuf to make it on the team??.. i mean.. if chris bosh, nd wack carmelo can make it.. pierce should be a starter den.. nd dont get me started wit wade... idk bout dis year for da u.s.. cuz dere missin suttin dat pierce nd da CELTICS provide... DEFENSEE
Posted By: sedin (Guest) on July 31, 2008 at 11:38 PM
first of all Paul Pierce didn't beat anybody. If Kg wasn't on the team they wouldn't have won. PERIOD...plus they had Ray Allen and he was being guarded by Radmanovic, hence the MVP, including the faked injury...anyway compared to Bryant you Celtics fans are surely delusional if you believe Pierce is nowhere in Bryant's league...nonesense
Posted By: Likeabite (Guest) on July 31, 2008 at 11:44 PM
And on Another note...Laughing my ass off makes a great point...I'm a New Yorker and a Giants fan but if Eli ever said he was the best in the world for beating Brady i'd call him an idiot the same way i'm calling Pierce. He's not even the best on the Celtics. They wouldn't win anything without KG, and that's a fact
Posted By: likeabite (Guest) on July 31, 2008 at 11:47 PM
"Its really pathetic how people in this world have to always put someone else down for having confidence in themselves. Everyone has a right to their opinion."
-TWilliams
^ correct. i don't think pierce is
the best player in the world, but as i
said earlier, he should not have to say
kobe is the best. he's a pro baller.
he laces up his kicks just like everyone
else. statistically, he is very much
on par with kobe. he's had fewer
accomplishments, but he's a damn
fine player.
Posted By: thesonicvision (Registered) on August 01, 2008 at 12:44 AM
