Hardwood Paroxysm Presents: First round moments from the NBA Playoffs
Paul Pierce is the King of the North
By Tom Westerholm (@Tom_NBA) — Hardwood Paroxysm
There’s a older guy at my gym who is a master of trash talk, of getting so far under an opponent’s skin, he could build an underground community in their veins. He’s creative (although the majority of his best work is…less than printable), but his constant flow of words up and down the floor is a more effective defense than a lot of players’ actual defense. There’s nothing quite like hearing “He won’t pull that, he can’t even see that far” to bait a pick-up basketball player into heaving a contested 28-foot jumper. There’s also nothing quite like being on his team and hearing “Brother, he’s busting your ass” shouted at your opponent every time you do something positive. He’s the best.
I can’t speak for Paul Pierce’s ability to needle opponents into contested 28-foot jumpers on the court, but his online trash talk in the first round was unparalleled and, frankly, it was beautiful to watch. Old basketball fans point to a time when basketball was more physical as a “better brand” of basketball, and they’re wrong — today’s product is notably more fun to watch. But there has always been something eminently watchable about a heel. Reggie Miller told the Knicks they choked. Larry Bird called his shots. It’s a new era — Paul Pierce posts on Instagram, putting together a collection that The Starters’ Trey Kerby called “honestly a tour de force performance of trash talk. I’m all about it.
Pierce has been considerably more than his Instagram posts, of course. Granted a new role by John Wall and Bradley Beal, Pierce thrived, putting up a completely unreasonable true-shooting percentage of 81.0. He’s picking his spots, averaging more 3-pointers per game than he has in any other playoff series, and on the heavier end of age 37, he’s playing a crucial role for a team that suddenly looks like it has the potential make a run to the Eastern Conference Finals.
We shouldn’t be surprised. That’s why they got him here. That’s what he does. He’s busting your a**.
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