Help me understand why I dislike Paul Pierce

[BruceO]

I thought this was about how we hate him and not his game. Either way I dislike when he said to Caron that he should send pierce flowers because Pierce was hurt, and if he wasn't hurt Caron wouldnt be able to make the all star game. Long story short Caron carried his team to two wins over Boston taking over in the fourth quarter and making Pierce make some mistakes.
Also I just saw Hedo punish him. So far Boston has lost twice to Wizards, twice to Orlando, I think they've lost to detroit and cleveland. They're been really cocky this year and I'm amazed considering how much that team sucked last year and what situations they were in. I'ts almost like the girl who was ugly last year comes back and is hot, becomes cocky and expects everyone to like her now that shes hot.

I was amazed garnett was holding up his jersey with the celtics logo on it. That must have hurt some minnesota fans who have loved and supported him for a long time.
Anyway back to pierce, a bunch of small forwards in the east have punished him.He can't defend any one of those guys. When Boston lose in the playoffs its going to be against a team with a good Small forward. I don't think these guys are going to sweep anyone. No ones afraid of a ghost

[kooldude]

it could be that kgceltics (remember him?) overrated Pierce so much that people actually to dislike Pierce for giving fuel to kgceltics's idiotic threads.

[reggielewis]

[quote="BruceO"]I thought this was about how we hate him and not his game. Either way I dislike when he said to Caron that he should send pierce flowers because Pierce was hurt, and if he wasn't hurt Caron wouldnt be able to make the all star game. Long story short Caron carried his team to two wins over Boston taking over in the fourth quarter and making Pierce make some mistakes.
Also I just saw Hedo punish him. So far Boston has lost twice to Wizards, twice to Orlando, I think they've lost to detroit and cleveland. They're been really cocky this year and I'm amazed considering how much that team sucked last year and what situations they were in. I'ts almost like the girl who was ugly last year comes back and is hot, becomes cocky and expects everyone to like her now that shes hot.

I was amazed garnett was holding up his jersey with the celtics logo on it. That must have hurt some minnesota fans who have loved and supported him for a long time.
Anyway back to pierce, a bunch of small forwards in the east have punished him.He can't defend any one of those guys. When Boston lose in the playoffs its going to be against a team with a good Small forward. I don't think these guys are going to sweep anyone. No ones afraid of a ghost[/quote

so we can just lock this before this turns into yet ANOTHER I hate Celtics thread?

[Scrub Sura]

Maybe because he has turned from a pouter to all smiles?

[David Robinson]

For a guy with limited success, he's a cocky individual.

It's unwarranted due to the fact that he's never won a thing in his life.

-- # 50 The Admiral David Robinson

[JordansBulls]

For years I have disliked Paul Pierce game while other fans around the NBA and the media have all loved his game and I usually as a fan of watching this game for twenty some odd years have a pretty good understanding of talent and skill when I see it. Dont get me wrong I think Paul is a good player but ive never quite seen him as the type of player people make him out to be.

When I watch him play I see a player that looks sort of out of shape, lazy at times in his movements, running without the ball, I see a player that lacks creativity and the first step to blow by his man, I see a player that is a good player but not a great one despite what his stats say. I see Paul Pierce in the same manner of a Vince Carter who has went through his career not working hard and coasting on his god given talent and never really had that swagger and determination to be the best he could be.

What am I missing when I watch this guy play that makes me question him because I come away unimpressed everytime I watch him play with his lazy moments, and his sad attempts at drawing fouls by jumping into his man while taking jump shots.

I dont get the hype, good player but not great.

Paul Pierce and Vince Carter are probably the closest comparison that anyone can make. They both came into the league at the same time and their numbers are virtually the same.

[Scrub Sura]

For a guy with limited success, he's a cocky individual.

It's unwarranted due to the fact that he's never won a thing in his life.

-- # 50 The Admiral David Robinson

From the few Celtic games I've watched, this seems to have rubbed off on Mr. Fugazi as well.

At least, I never noticed until now.

[OhMyBosh]

Some people don't like him because he's not flashy, quick, or amazing at anything. But he gets it done. Compared to his teammates, you can tell he does minimal weight training. He has the talent to coast and still be a factor.

I would say some of his game is overrated. He has a good post game, although sometimes inconsistent in his turnaround jumpers. He can be a streaky shooter at times. His defence is average. He's not a strong defender as some people tend to think.

I think he's a smart player - knows his limitations and utilizes it to its full potential. It's his attitude and smack talking that usually gets fans to dislike him. I never considered Pierce to be a franchise player. For years, he was just a good player on a terrible team. Now he's finally winning with Garnett, which is why I give almost full credit to Garnett.

[Datruth345]

well i've watched paul pierce 70-80 games a year for about 8 years now

and this is what i've come up with

-first and foremost he is the ultimate competitor...he will play through almost any injury and he once said "if i can breathe i can play" he had teeth knocked out by Amare had dental surgery on the off day and played the next day

-he has one of the most versatile offensive games in the league, he is effective from anywhere on the court he has a number of low post moves, we all know about his jab steps and lean ins to draw fouls from the triple threat, he is a great slasher and can get to the rim with ease, and he shots above average from three point range...he can hurt you from any spot on the court

- he is an above average rebounder for someone his size and is not afraid to mix it up in the paint for offensive or defensive rebounds

- he isn't what i would consider a great facilitator or passer, but he is underrated in that facet of the game he has a great drive and dish game, which is where a number of the baskets for the celtics centers come

- his defensive was always the hole in his complete game, as he has openly admitted he would rest on defense because he had to carry the load for the bad celtics teams of years past. however this year he has made defense a top priority and the diffrence is evident. many scouts say that he is playing great perimeter defense and is one of the reasons for the celtics success this season (besides kg and everything he brings)

- he is one of the best 4 quarter players. in tight game in the fourth quarter i want him on my side not the opposing side, 82 games clutch stats show he is great in clutch time. he consistently has taken over games put the celtics on his back and won games over his career

- to criticize him because he looks out of shape or lazy is too bad, because he is neither. you don't have to be a great athlete to be a great basketball player. he plays the game hard every game and never mails it in, even when the celtics were horrible.

- as far as fair criticisms, he definitely suffers from the hero complex where he often gets in 1 on 1 showdowns with opposing players. he has a spin move that rarely works often ends up in a steal or bad pass. same thing goes for a behind the back move. often ends in a turnover

- i can see where people may not like his attitude, i can see where if he was on another team i wouldn't like it, but he isn't so i love it

- as far as playoff success, lets be serious the celtics were a franchise that went through a series of bad move after bad move, a player has no control over that. he has proven however that he can take a marginally good team and take the deep in the playoffs (conference finals) antoine walker tony battie rodney rogers tony delk...what a bum squad, his numbers always increase in the playoffs as well

- at the end of the day, this post isn't going to change anyones opinions of Paul Pierce, but it wasn't really meant i'm not trying to say hes the best player...he is a top 10-15 player in the league...and it is what it is...if you had the privilege to watch him for over the course of his career i'm sure alot of the opinions in this thread would be different..i think its the classic case of you hate him, but if he was on your team you would love him


thats my story and i'm sticking to it

[Hood President]

Some people don't like him because he's not flashy, quick, or amazing at anything. But he gets it done. Compared to his teammates, you can tell he does minimal weight training. He has the talent to coast and still be a factor.

I would say some of his game is overrated. He has a good post game, although sometimes inconsistent in his turnaround jumpers. He can be a streaky shooter at times. His defence is average. He's not a strong defender as some people tend to think.

I think he's a smart player - knows his limitations and utilizes it to its full potential. It's his attitude and smack talking that usually gets fans to dislike him. I never considered Pierce to be a franchise player. For years, he was just a good player on a terrible team. Now he's finally winning with Garnett, which is why I give almost full credit to Garnett.

this is one of the most overrated things in the nba. garnett didnt have more success than pierce when he was in minni. sure he one a mvp but didnt get to the finals. I always had pierce in the same class as garnett. garnett is not a franchise player BTW either. he is not better than pierce by any means. maybe on defence. people need to realize this and stop acting like garnett is king.

[AWalkerREMIX]

For years I have disliked Paul Pierce game while other fans around the NBA and the media have all loved his game and I usually as a fan of watching this game for twenty some odd years have a pretty good understanding of talent and skill when I see it. Dont get me wrong I think Paul is a good player but ive never quite seen him as the type of player people make him out to be.

When I watch him play I see a player that looks sort of out of shape, lazy at times in his movements, running without the ball, I see a player that lacks creativity and the first step to blow by his man, I see a player that is a good player but not a great one despite what his stats say. I see Paul Pierce in the same manner of a Vince Carter who has went through his career not working hard and coasting on his god given talent and never really had that swagger and determination to be the best he could be.

What am I missing when I watch this guy play that makes me question him because I come away unimpressed everytime I watch him play with his lazy moments, and his sad attempts at drawing fouls by jumping into his man while taking jump shots.

I dont get the hype, good player but not great.

You must be just completely blind then. Paul Pierce is FAR from out of shape...he is a work horse...and in some cases, people around Boston have accused him of overworking his body and bulking up too much to the point that he has lost a lot of fluid motion in his shot.
You also have completely missed the fact that he has one of the best first steps in the game. His combination of his quick first step and his brute strength are what make Paul Pierce one of the toughest guards in the league.
I have absolutely no idea where you are getting any of your rationalizations, but they are pretty obviously unwarranted for those of us who have actually watched him over the years.

[AWalkerREMIX]

-= original quote snipped =-



He's been playing the 3 more ever since Walker left. And I'm not questioning any of his athleticism at all. I'm merely saying that he does not have the "god-given athletic ability" that Carter has, which is what the OP implied.

The rest of your post is right on- except that his weakest facet of the game, is his ball handling. Which is why he's far better on the wing, near the post, then he is at isolating from the top of the three point line.

Actually, that's not true at all. This is the first season he has played the 3 since Walker left...

[AWalkerREMIX]

I hate Pierce, because he's incredibly deceptive. He draws contact on pumps and jab steps and post-ups, and hits shots that you don't think he'll hit, like 15-foot turnaround jumpers and step-back threes. Thing is, he will look somehwat lazy because he doesn't move without the ball very often, and I don't think he's got a very good catch-and-shoot game. And he's very bulky, so he seems slow too, but he's not. He's pretty fast, even if he's not the type to blow by people.

This is a pretty accurate description. He doesn't move without the ball because he's not a catch-and-shoot player. He's a post-up player who has developed a good jumper.

[AWalkerREMIX]

-= original quote snipped =-



Paul Pierce and Vince Carter are probably the closest comparison that anyone can make. They both came into the league at the same time and their numbers are virtually the same.

Except their games and personalities are exact opposites.

[djtruebeliever]

it could be that kgceltics (remember him?) overrated Pierce so much that people actually to dislike Pierce for giving fuel to kgceltics's idiotic threads.

quite possibly, yes. though my dislike of pp predated kgceltics, I have to admit he didn't make me like pp any more.

[NetsForce]

I think it has to do with the fact that Paul Pierce suffers from hero syndrome, in the crunch he thinks he has to do everything and will take shots that even Antoine Walker would pass up.

[OhMyBosh]

-= original quote snipped =-



this is one of the most overrated things in the nba. garnett didnt have more success than pierce when he was in minni. sure he one a mvp but didnt get to the finals. I always had pierce in the same class as garnett. garnett is not a franchise player BTW either. he is not better than pierce by any means. maybe on defence. people need to realize this and stop acting like garnett is king.

Well, I said "almost" full credit because you can't exclude the fact that they also got Ray Allen, and key bench players like House and Posey.

But you can't seriously tell me you wouldn't start a franchise with Garnett. A player of his talent enters the league once every decade. Complete do-it-all player. He also has one of the greatest intangibles you can find in a player. He's not only the team's best player, he's the hardest worker in every game and every practice, he's a great motivator, and he is what you would call a "leader".

[stopnpop]

it's his face

[risktaker91]

I think Paul Pierce is a great player. Great post-up player, and he can really drive in and dish the ball out. Pierce is one of my favorite players, and this year his defense has really elevated.

[5DOM]

I think it has to do with the fact that Paul Pierce suffers from hero syndrome, in the crunch he thinks he has to do everything and will take shots that even Antoine Walker would pass up.

great sig