The Truth Hurts: Paul Pierce Correctly States He Was More Clutch Than LeBron James

Brian Babineau. Getty Images.

If there's one thing I love about Paul Pierce, it's how mad he's able to get people online simply for telling the truth. For example, there was the time he got everyone bent out of shape for his correct stance on him and DWade

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I can understand the pushback given who Pierce played for and all that, but despite what you may see on TV and podcasts in 2024, I think people forget just how good Paul Pierce the basketball player was. You don't become a first ballot HOFer by accident last time I checked or find yourself Top 20 all time in scoring (26,397) without being pretty damn good.

So that is why it shouldn't surprise anyone what Pierce's response was when asked if he was more clutch than LeBron James during this playing days

I'm sure he'll be dragged for this by triggered Lebronsexuals, but really this is just another example of Paul Pierce telling the truth. During his playing days, Pierce was arguably one of the most clutch players the league has ever seen

Over 10.3% of all Pierce's shots in his career came during clutch moments. He was THAT GUY when it came time to make a big time shot with the game on the line. We saw it time and time again when it came to Pierce coming through in the biggest moments, including multiple times against LeBron James himself

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Back in 2013, why do you think LeBron himself had this to say when it came to Pierce?

"I would say that I don't really have an individual rivalry. I think the closest would be Paul Pierce," James said. "I would say Boston is a rival of mine because I've met them so many times in the postseason. I've been able to advance against them, they've sent me home fishing a few times. So I would say Boston and Paul Pierce would kind of be that guy, if I had to name just one guy."

Because even he couldn't deny that during his prime (and even in his final years too) Paul Pierce was a bad motherfucker, especially with the game on the line. Everyone on the planet knew he was going to find a way to get to his spot so he could unleash his lethal midrange jumper and not a single player in the league could stop it. Never the most athletic, but a player who always seemed to get what he wanted and never panicked when the pressure started to mount.

His clutch play also led to easily my favorite Mike Gorman call of all time. Not a game winner or anything, but it just goes to show you Pierce never backed down from the moment, even if it came at the end of a quarter in a big playoff game

so I'll use any excuse I can find to put that shot in a blog so I can rewatch it another 5000 times. Man I'm really going to miss Gorman after this season, but that's a different topic for a different day.

So while the younger generation might clown Pierce for this take, the older generation out there knows the truth (no pun intended but intended) because we lived it. 

If the game was on the line and you needed one player to take the final shot with your life depending on it, going with Paul Pierce is one of the best decisions you could ever make. Yes, even over LeBron James.