By now, NBA fans know to expect the unexpected whenever Paul Pierce is in front of a microphone and, in true fashion, the retired forward lived up to his reputation in a hilarious, NSFW soundbite on Friday.
Pierce’s latest memorable line came prior to the Celtics’ home game against the 76ers, where the Basketball Hall of Famer and Celtics legend appeared as a guest on the NBC Sports Boston pregame show.
During the spot, Pierce fielded a question asking how his NBA title-winning 2008 Boston team would’ve approached an in-season tournament. And, while he could’ve taken a humble approach, Pierce decided to do anything but, as he stressed just how much the tourney’s point differential rule would’ve mattered to the club.
“Man, we probably would’ve beat the s— out of everybody,” Pierce proclaimed as he and the desk erupted in laughter. “I mean, that point differential would’ve meant a lot for us.”
Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
As Pierce alluded to, the IST’s pivotal-yet-somewhat polarizing point differential rule likely would’ve given tough-minded players such as himself, Kevin Garnett, Rajon Rondo and others an extra edge considering that it is one of the tiebreakers for group play.
Unfortunately for NBA fans, of course, the world will never know how the ’08 Celtics would’ve fared but, considering the team finished with a 66–16 regular season record, Pierce’s strong take may not be as outlandish as it sounds.
"How would you guys have treated it in 2008?"
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) December 2, 2023
"Man, we probably would've beat the s*** out of everybody." @paulpierce34 makes it to the PGL desk and immediately weighs in on the IST 🤣🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/2ghM9Gs9lI
