Latest news with #PaulPierce
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Why Paul Pierce trusts Tyrese Haliburton more than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
The post Why Paul Pierce trusts Tyrese Haliburton more than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander appeared first on ClutchPoints. Indiana Pacers All-Star Tyrese Haliburton has earned Paul Pierce's trust over Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ahead of their NBA Finals showdown. Haliburton and Gilgeous-Alexander have each propelled their franchises to their first NBA Finals appearances in over a decade. The Indiana Pacers beat the New York Knicks in a grueling six-game showdown, while Oklahoma City Thunder dismantled the Timberwolves in five. Advertisement The Pacers return to the grand stage for the first time since 2000, when they lost in six games to the Los Angeles Lakers led by Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. Meanwhile, the Thunder last made the Finals in 2012 and fell to LeBron James and the Miami Heat. Appearing on SPEAK, Paul Pierce responded to Joy Taylor's question about who he trusts more in the Finals: Haliburton or Gilgeous-Alexander? He prefaced his choice by saying, 'All right, I'm gonna say this, but don't get mad,' before revealing his pick: 'I know the obvious choice is going to be SGA, but I chose Haliburton.' Pierce then explained his reasoning. Advertisement 'SGA is a scorer. They need him to score 30, 32, 40 points. He's the leading scorer in the NBA. Shown to be unstoppable. But I feel like you could devise a game plan to keep the ball out of his hands and slow him down. I saw him slow down a bit in Denver. In that series, it was tough on him to score. They rely on that.' In contrast, Pierce praised Haliburton's consistency and unselfish approach. 'You don't rely on Haliburton to get you 30. You don't even rely on him to get you 25. He's going to get you a 15 and a 13 game, and that can be enough for him to win. Whereas I'm not sure if SGA getting you 15 or 17 can beat you.' Pierce pointed to Haliburton's playmaking as a key to Indiana's success. Advertisement 'He still gives me between 10 and 15 assists every night. That's almost a guarantee. The way he moves the ball, the way he pushes the pace—and if he gives me 13 and 15—I can count on that being enough because he gets so many other people involved. And that is good enough for Indiana to win. So that's why I go with Haliburton on this one.' With Haliburton's fast-paced facilitation and Gilgeous-Alexander's elite scoring arsenal, the NBA Finals promises a clash of styles and stars. The Pacers are chasing their first NBA Championship in franchise history, while the Thunder aim to bring a long-awaited title back to Oklahoma City. Two rising teams. Two transformative leaders. One electrifying series. The stage is set—and the basketball world will be watching. Related: 3 reasons Pacers will stun world by beating Thunder in 2025 NBA Finals Related: Indiana Pacers X-factor that will determine 2025 NBA Finals vs. Thunder
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Paul Pierce sends message to Knicks after playoff elimination
If there was one person who was excited to see the New York Knicks get eliminated from the playoffs it was Paul Pierce. The Boston Celtics legend has constantly taken shots at the franchise and hasn't been shy to share his true feelings. But after the Indiana Pacers beat the Knicks in Game 6 to punch their ticket to the NBA Finals, Pierce actually took a different approach. Advertisement 'You gotta add some pieces. Obviously, y'all gotta get some depth,' Pierce said on his Instagram story. 'But, yeah, nobody expected y'all to get this far anyway. You gotta build on this. Y'all look good. Y'all look good. Y'all made it to the Conference Final. Y'all beat the Celtics in the second round. What can I say? Y'all had a good year. But, add some pieces. Get some depth. Hopefully, y'all get some depth. Y'all be right back in it.' Pierce didn't say everything with a straight face, though. And he posted to X after the game and said, "I walked so the Knicks can sit lmao," in reference to when he walked 20 miles to the FS1 studio after a prediction he made about the Celtics-Knicks series was wrong. The 2008 Celtics champion also posted on Sunday, 'Laugh at the delusional Knick fans.' More Celtics content Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
NBA Hall-of-Famer Paul Pierce says he walked 20 miles in robe to pay off on-air bet
NBA Hall-of-Famer Paul Pierce says he walked 20 miles in robe to pay off on-air bet (KTLA) – Don't let anyone ever tell you Paul Pierce isn't a man of his word. On Thursday, the Boston Celtics legend and former Los Angeles Clippers player appeared to make good on a promise to walk to work in his robe from his home somewhere in the San Fernando Valley to the Fox Sports studio in Century City. Advertisement The reason? Pierce's overconfidence in his former team. After the Celtics blew a 20-point lead in Game 1 against the underdog New York Knicks earlier this week, Pierce proudly proclaimed he wasn't worried about the team's performance or the possibility that the upstart Knicks could dethrone the defending champions. 'If the Celtics lose Game 2 at home, I promise you, I'm walking here tomorrow,' Pierce boldly announced during an appearance on FS1, as his co-hosts could be heard trying to talk him out of it. 'I'm walking here. I'm walking here. 15 miles. I'm walking here. In my robe. No shoes on. Bare feet. If the Celtics lose.' 'RIP Skype': What to know about your data Advertisement Hindsight aside, Pierce had reason to be optimistic. The Celtics are the reigning NBA champs, have home court advantage over New York and were betting favorites to beat the Knicks. Plus, blowing a 20-point lead as the favorites in the NBA Playoffs is just a fluke… right? Wrong. On Wednesday, it was deja vu for Pierce and fellow Celtics supporters. The Knicks outscored the Celtics 30-17 in the fourth quarter of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, capped off with a game winning free throw by New York point guard Jalen Brunson and a clutch steal by forward Mikal Bridges to leave the crowd at TD Garden stunned. FILE – Former NBA basketball player Paul Pierce smiles watching warmups before an NBA basketball game between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Chicago Bulls, Nov. 14, 2021, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo, file) The New York Knickerbockers, by all counts the underdogs in the series, have a 2-0 lead as they return to the Big Apple. Advertisement And with that, Pierce had to either follow through with his promise, or be vilified as a liar. But Pierce took it in stride, posting a screenshot of his projected route to work shortly after the final buzzer went off. With two barfing emojis, the screenshot showed a 20-mile, eight-hour walk from his home to the Fox Studios. And, on Thursday, before the sun came up, Pierce posted a video on social media that showed him heading out on his morning commute – robe and all. He wasn't barefoot, but we'll give him a pass. Throughout the morning, Pierce checked in on Instagram, providing updates about his progress. He even took time to chat with some fans who found him on the street. Advertisement As of 12:30 p.m., he was live on social media, responding to fans who tuned in for the final stretch. 'I think I lost five pounds,' he joked during the live-stream. 'My feet hurt, my toes. I need a shower.' He also thanked fans who followed during his journey, giving him words of encouragement and even those who provided him with water along his route. Some on social media questioned the veracity of Pierce 'walking the walk,' accusing him of not appearing sufficiently sweaty, but the 2008 NBA Finals MVP swears it was legit. 'I'm never going to do this again,' he laughed. 'You thought this wasn't real? It's real.' Advertisement With the Fox Sports Studios in his line of sight, he channeled former teammate Kevin Garnett with one of the most beloved and iconic phrases in Boston sports history: 'Anything is possible!' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
USA Today
4 days ago
- Business
- USA Today
Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce on how the Boston Celtics should navigate the second apron
Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce on how the Boston Celtics should navigate the second apron How should the Boston Celtics navigate the second apron penalties their incoming, unprecedented payroll and tax bill is about to unleash on the historic ball club? It seems pretty much everyone has an opinion on the matter in recent weeks, and given the potential impact it could have on the future of the team, it is not hard to see why that might be the case. But Boston alumni have not been especially vocal about the issue in public -- at least, that is, until now. Hall of Fame Celtics forwards Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett weighed in on their former team's future and what should be done about it on an episode of the "KG Certified" podcast. They also touched on what would need to happen for Boston to be competitive next season. Take a look at the clip embedded below to hear what they had to say about the future of the Celtics!
Boston Globe
4 days ago
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Celtics great Paul Pierce was quick to taunt Knicks fans after losing to Pacers
This is traumatizing 😂😂 — Paul Pierce (@paulpierce34) The New York Knicks have not won a championship since 1973 — a span of 52 years — while the last 'Big Four' (MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL) club in the New York area to win a title was the New York Giants in 2012. Pierce also Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'I walked so the Knicks can sit lmao,' Pierce wrote on X after the Knicks were eliminated. Advertisement Unlike his second-round predictions that the Celtics were going to bounce back and take down New York, Pierce was right in his call that the Pacers were going to handle the Knicks in the third round. 'Pacers gonna pop y'all. Pacers gonna get y'all… y'all beat an injured Celtics team,' Pierce posted on social media shortly after the Knicks snuffed out Boston's hopes of winning back-to-back championships. Paul Pierce after the Knicks eliminated the Celtics from the Playoffs 'Pacers gonna pop y'all. Pacers gonna get y'all… y'all beat an injured Celtics team.' — Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) It comes as little surprise that a longtime Celtics star in Pierce would enjoy twisting the knife against the Knicks. Advertisement But, the FS1 analyst also sent some words of encouragement to a New York team that punched its ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000. 'You gotta add some pieces. Obviously, y'all gotta get some depth,' 'Y'all beat the Celtics in the second round. What can I say? Y'all had a good year. But, add some pieces. Get some depth. Hopefully, y'all get some depth. Y'all be right back in it.' Conor Ryan can be reached at
