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Paul Pierce’s weird obsession with the Warriors

By Carlos Murillo

Nov 19, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) blocks a shot by Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul Pierce (34) in the second half of the game at Staples Center. The Warriors won 124-117. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 19, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) blocks a shot by Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul Pierce (34) in the second half of the game at Staples Center. The Warriors won 124-117. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Golden State Warriors occupy a lot of space in the mind of former All-Star forward Paul Pierce as he spends a lot of time talking about them.

Paul Pierce has an obsession with the Golden State Warriors. It’s pretty clear to see. He just can’t seem to get the Dubs out of his head.

Since the summer, Pierce has spent a lot of time talking about the Warriors. He went on Siriux XM radio to complain about Kevin Durant’s decision to join Golden State. He argued that he could never do that and that players in today’s game don’t have the desire or hunger to be competitive against the best.

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Draymond Green quickly responded by telling him “dude nobody care what you did or who you did it for.” He implored Pierce and everyone else who was outraged by KD’s decision to relax and move on. Despite the advice from the Warriors’ All-Star, Pierce didn’t listen.

Later, Pierce went on HBO’s Any Given Wednesday with Bill Simmons and continued to talk about the Warriors. Simmons asked him if Golden State choked or if the Cleveland Cavaliers won and the former Celtic star responded with the former. He said losing a 3-1 lead is inexcusable and that he could never do something like that.

The Warriors have defeated the Clippers 10 times in a row now. Pierce, 39, is just a spectator at this point. He’s collecting NBA checks to watch basketball games. It doesn’t stop him from getting involved though.

Green and Pierce continued their saga during a free throw. The microphones, luckily, picked up the Warriors’ power forward talking to Pierce, who, if he said anything, was inaudible. Green told him that he doesn’t get a farewell tour because the fans don’t value him that highly because he’s not Kobe Bryant.

Pierce, a player who prides himself on toughness and being “old-school,” did not respond to Green’s face. He waited until the middle of the night to tweet like a 16 year old troll.

https://twitter.com/paulpierce34/status/835067874012102657

Well, there you have it. Pierce resorted to making a joke about the NBA Finals, hours after his team got hammered while everyone was asleep. It’s, at least, nice to see that he’s figured out emojis.

The question is: what is his obsession with the Warriors about? Why does he feel the need to let them occupy so much space in his head? For what reason does he continue to talk about them?

Honestly, it doesn’t make a lot of sense. Pierce is on his way out of the league and, instead of bowing out gracefully, is stooping to really low levels. Perhaps he’s auditioning for a job as an athlete-turned-analyst with extremely controversial (and incorrect) hot takes.

Perhaps he’s upset that the Warriors perfected the idea of the superteam that his Boston Celtics created when they brought in Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. While those teams were definitely fantastic, they didn’t have two former MVPs, four current All-Stars, two former All-Stars, and a Finals MVP to boot. This Golden State team is stacked in ways Boston wasn’t.

Maybe he’s sad that the Warriors can establish the dynasty his Celtics never could. By becoming an enemy of Green and Golden State, he can endear himself to fans who will preserve his legacy with more passion. Anyone who opposes the Durant and his new team become heroes.

It could be that he’s jealous of them. Maybe he wishes that he was on their team. Maybe he’s heartbroken that his 2008 Boston Celtics are inferior to any iteration of the Warriors over the last three seasons. Or maybe he’s upset that Green is almost as accomplished as he is.

The irony here is off the charts. The folks that worship earlier, more physical eras of basketball here. This game is too “soft” for all the vets, but once Green gets to talking, it’s too much. People need to make up their minds.

Pierce is a future Hall of Famer, but he doesn’t quite command the respect that his now-retired peers have. Kobe Bryant, of course, got a farewell tour. Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett actually played in their final seasons. Pierce is just along for the ride, but no one else is.

Judging off that tweet, it’s a sense of pride for him that he was never in Golden State’s position. It’s easy to understand his perspective–it would be very unfortunate to hold some of the league’s most prestigious records. I’m sure the Warriors lament making history easily.

If the best he can come up with against Green is bringing up a year in which he set the single season wins record, then he doesn’t have much. If the best he can do is say “3-1” when he let Sasha Vujecic sink him in a Game 7, then maybe he isn’t in a position to talk. Green has already matched Pierce’s ring total and, most likely, will surpass it sometime in the near future.

If one wanted to stoop to Pierce’s level, I suppose one could argue that Pierce only got past the second round once before Garnett and Allen arrived. They could say that Pierce’s most successful years as a player came when he played second fiddle. That his ring chasing over the last few season has been rather unsuccessful. But one should not go there.

Pierce was a great player. He’ll be remembered for some special moments when someone takes a stroll down memory lane. Right now, he’s just playing the role of bitter old man. This isn’t the Pierce that should be remembered, but he can’t stop digging himself into a hole.

Next: Top 25 Players in Warriors Franchise History

The Pierce that should be remembered is

the one that rode Garnett’s coat tails

is the one that won a championship. The Pierce that should be remembered

is the one sustained the most perplexing injury in league history and inexplicably needed a wheelchair

is the one that hit clutch shots.

Green didn’t say or do anything wrong. He didn’t disrespect a legend; he fired back at someone that took shots at him. He just spoke facts. There’s no reason that should upset anyone.

If the facts bother you, then I guess it would just be better if the Truth went away.

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