Props, respect, daps, accolades. As far as many professional basketball players are concerned, the only way to achieve any of the aforementioned items is to be the very best one can possibly be with respect to their individual gifts and innate talents. This goes doubly so for an individual who performed at a high level throughout most of his career.
Indeed, Paul Pierce definitely fits that description. Its easy to name off the best small forward in the history of the Boston Celtics franchise because that same player is still believed by many to also be the best small forward in the history of the NBA.
That mans name is Larry Bird. However, when you account for his career-best scoring average of nearly 27 points per game in 2008, his six seasons of being among the top-ten best scorers in the NBA, four seasons of being top 10 in steals per game, and his four times being selected to the All-NBA team, its no wonder why The Truth has been bristling at the idea of sharing his #34 jersey retirement ceremony with a highlight video of former Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas.
Paul Pierce in NBA Street Ankle Breakers
Before you watch the Celtics and Clippers on ABC, check out Paul Pierce in this throwback piece from NBA Street Ankle Breakers!
“Danny [Ainge] and I talked about it for 40 minutes,” Pierce explained to ESPN early Tuesday afternoon. “He told me, ‘This is what we have planned,’ and at the end of the conversation, he said, ‘If you don’t want us to do Isaiah, we won’t.’ So I told him, ‘I really don’t.’ So that was it.
“I wanted to make it clear that it was never my intention or Isaiah’s intention to take away from the special day for Paul Pierce,” Ainge told ESPN. “And no one was ever comparing I.T. to Paul Pierce. We all owe Paul a lot. Everyone in the organization.”
For his part, Thomas decided to bow out of the scenario gracefully by rejecting Bostons invitation.
We love the miniature dynamo and his career high average of 28.9 points per game is one of the highest regular season averages in Celtics history. But Paul Pierce, as petty as his overture might seem, has a pretty good point.
Isaiah Thomas 52 Points! 29 in the 4th Quarter | 12.30.16
Isaiah Thomas gets it done in the 4th quarter, dropping 29 of his 52 in the 4th quarter as the Celtics defeat the Heat on the 2nd night of a back to back. About the NBA: The NBA is the premier professional basketball league in the United States and Canada.
He shouldnt have to watch anything related to Thomas during what is supposed to be HIS day of recognition.
Pierce, one of the greatest one-on-one scoring threats in the history of one of the NBAs most storied franchises, shouldnt have had to go whining to the media about the situation. The Celtics shouldve seen to that.
However, Im not mad that he did. If we dont speak up for ourselves theres no guarantee that anyone else will.
