LeBron James and Paul Pierce had many incredible battles during the 2000s. But not many come close to their epic duel in Game 7 of the 2008 Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Pierce opened up about his 1-on-1 battle with James in a recent interview with Rachel Nichols. The Boston Celtics legend believed it was a memorable battle, which ultimately resulted in his team’s victory.
“That was a 1-on-1 game,” Pierce told Nichols. “Everything happened so fast, and I was just like, ‘I’m not going home today. I’m gonna do whatever I can.’ And it was just like I come down, knock one down, then LeBron come down, boom, knock one down. And I was just like, ‘I’m right at home right now. This is what I do.’ You get to a Game 7. There’s no plays or no scheme or nothing you gonna draw up that’s gonna be effective and so you gotta come with it, you gotta bring your A-game.”
The game finished at 97-92 in favor of the Celtics as they advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals. Pierce dropped 41 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists, while James had 45 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists.
It was a brilliant battle between the two superstars as they tried their best to lead their respective teams to victory. The Celtics ultimately won the NBA Championship that year, with Pierce winning the NBA Finals MVP as well. In the finals, Pierce averaged 21.8 PPG, 4.5 RPG, and 6.3 APG in six games against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Paul Pierce On LeBron James’ GOAT Case
For years, Paul Pierce denied LeBron James’ case as one of the greatest players of all time. Considering the two stars were bitter rivals, it wasn’t a surprise.
However, Pierce has finally come around on James’ GOAT case. He believed James became the GOAT after becoming the NBA’s all-time scoring leader.
In addition, Pierce also apologized for never acknowledging the King. He claimed James is truly the King. It’s great to see that Pierce admitted James’ talent and praised the Lakers superstar.
