Former Boston Celtics star Paul Pierce has recently expressed his fear of the Miami Heat, the team that eliminated his former squad in the Eastern Conference Finals last season. Pierce, who now works as an analyst for DraftKings Network, said that the Heat are the only team that can challenge the Celtics in the East this year.
“You only got one legit team, Miami,” Pierce said, per DraftKings Network . “…even though they are where they at, that’s the only team I be like ‘dang, I really am scared of.’”
Paul Pierce discussing which team can beat the Celtics in a 7 game series
“They own Philly I don’t want to hear that”
“You only got one legit team, Miami”
“Even though they are where they at, that’s the only team I be like dang I really am scared of”
Pierce knows pic.twitter.com/9Ya5BCYtrj
— Emo Jimmy (@WheelerJaylen) February 25, 2024
The Celtics have been the best team in the NBA this season, winning 45 games and losing only 12. They have a comfortable lead over the second-placed Cleveland Cavaliers, who are 7.5 games behind. The Heat, on the other hand, are currently seventh in the East, with a 31-25 record.
However, Pierce may have a point, as the Heat have proven to be a tough matchup for the Celtics in the past. Last year, the Heat stunned the Celtics in seven games, thanks to the heroics of Jimmy Butler, and Bam Adebayo.
Pierce, who won a championship with the Celtics in 2008, has often been a critic of the Heat, especially during the LeBron James era.
“I rub people the wrong way,” Pierce said on The Dan LeBatard Show this week. “I never liked Miami. I respected them, but it is what it is. I’d rather do it in a telephone booth, but if you need more room in the grocery store, that’s cool too.”
The Celtics and the Heat may meet again in the playoffs, as they are projected to face each other in the second round, according to ESPN’s Basketball Power Index. If that happens, Pierce may have to watch his former team battle his biggest fear once more.
