Paul Pierce on the State of the Celtics, NBA Injury Crisis, Intense KG Stories & More

Paul Pierce on the State of the Celtics, NBA Injury Crisis, Intense KG Stories & More

why you think that’s such a common injury for the NBA now
KG made an interesting point He was like “They don’t practice no more.”
I be pushing the coach like “Yo we we need to practice more If we going to be here for 30 45 minutes like let’s touch up.” [Music] Podcast fam welcome back to another episode of Podcast P a wave original It’s your boy PG Join with me is my guy Dallas Rutherford
Simple clap today Simple clap today That’s all you’re getting
No hat today We We going to let the Baldi show a little bit Everyone
got a fresh one He got a fresh ball
Got a fresh We got Jackie Long Val Come on now Quit playing
And ladies and gentlemen it’s a long story
Long story Tell you on camera And our next guest today is a NBA champ a finals MVP a 10 time allstar not to mention a LA legend We hyped to have him on the show Give it up for the truth Welcome to the show
You know before we start Pete hold on
What you got what you got a great guest here
You got to do it
I’m saying I’m saying though
What you saying where you find this
don’t even worry about it
Do you just [ __ ] the whole show up thank you sir
Come on man I feel real again
Come on That jersey is hard
That those those golden the golden green they down they don’t sell them
Yeah The the uh the price just went up
Just went up I tell y’all that
I tell y’all that Hey good having you on the show man man For sure Long time coming
Absolutely Absolutely Talk to us man What what’s what’s new in the space in the world over there
man you know I’m just I’ve been enjoying retirement man Uh you know just kids I got a couple different other shows I’m doing I’m doing obviously y’all know about me when me and KG do it I do uh with KG Certified I’m doing stuff with Fox Sports with Keshan and and Joy on the daily We talk
uh show called Speak And then I got my other podcast called The Truth After Dark
Yep Where we talking about relationships and stuff like that You know after dark you know after dark stuff We get down to the nitty-gritty You know what I’m saying i’m surprised you ain’t got a cooking show yet
That’s coming though
Okay Hey cuz I know you be cooking Oh he be doing That’s coming
Yeah So like cuz it’s a it could be a lot of like break down the cooking Is it
like I’m a grill I’m grill I’m grill I want to do the grill stuff So you know I could throw I know how to like
filt a a whole If you if I caught a fish in the river I could take it out fillet it like cuz you like the fish right yeah I know you know how to fillet Yep
Yeah I know how to fillet it Cut it like that Boom Clean it
all the way from A to B A to Z Okay
On the grill seasoning you know I can My ribs is cracking fall off the bone stay Yeah You know that’s just some of my hobbies and stuff like that And I I just try to stay busy
Yeah
Do a little traveling Been to Australia a couple times since I’ve been retired Uh
you know it’s been it’s been life’s been good It’s been fun you know like you know cuz like
you get to enjoy all the fruits of your labor now
Mhm
You know cuz like once it was over for me and I woke up and I didn’t want to do the summer grind
and it was just like now just spending time with the kids and you know a lot has happened since I’ve been retired It’s been a little ups and downs but you know I’m good I’m good
Well you look good man
Yeah Yeah Look happy and everything
Oh yeah Yeah Yeah You know you still you still stay in shape I do be seeing I work out like three or four times a week I got it in this morning Okay
I’ve been getting some shots up lately
but I ain’t It’s just a
Yeah
get a sweat You know what I’m saying speaking Speaking of getting in shape you know
it’s it’s a few of my uh retired buddies need to be
They need to get out there and get
Come on Lace them shits back up brother
We got room in the church league if you ever want to come over You know
I can do the church league though
Yeah you Yeah you could do it
I could do the church league
Got a game tomorrow night We’ll see Speaking speaking of getting in shape right we we saw the viral clip of you walking the 20 miles
after the bet Y’all lost the Celtics lose to the Knicks game two
right
like did you walk the full 20 there’s no What do you think it looked legit like it it it but then it looked like you had a lot of energy still too though I know I know if I was I got some help along the way You know I had people bring me some water Okay you know wiping off the sweat It was a good walk though You didn’t see I woke up at 5 in the morning
No I thought it was legit
No it was legit I thought it was legit It was legit I walked that man Come on Listen Listen No Listen Cuz I hike
I hike three and a half miles probably twice a week And that’s uphill Okay
And that takes me an hour five minutes So you it’s 20 miles
Six seven hours that you you knock that out
Before work though man Hey dude you I’m a man of my honor You know 10 toes down
Yeah
Yeah I’m a man of honor
That’s a pure athlete right there
you know I didn’t know it was going to go crazy like that though man I swear I felt like I had a cult following It was people on the street waving me down
like “Oh yeah Yeah you’re cheering me on and stuff.” I was It was crazy That probably had to help the process Like that time was flying by at that point Yeah
6 hours That’s a long time That’s a long ass time Walking
It’s just walking though
I know I’m just saying long that it makes it seem
at any point would you like damn I shouldn’t have did this yeah of course I sat down you know I sat down sat down
Probably slept good in the [ __ ] that night
man My feet was hurting for like a week though What kind of running shoes you had on man I don’t even I can’t I walked in Air Force One I was cooked I was Air Force One They was slides at the end of that walk
for real and they already know his feet was man straight slides I wasn’t even thinking about it cuz I just that’s what I wear usually every day
I didn’t even think about it I just was started stepping
Yeah
Didn’t even think about getting some running shoes
No I got running shoes too I got shoes I work at I got cross trainer shoes All of that I said I would do it in every
I didn’t even once I already got like a mile down I couldn’t turn
Too late
You know what I mean
too late
right
talk to us a little bit about the current state of where the Celtics is at Right They just traded Drew got Simon’s back Uh KP they got off of Now there’s you know I I’ve heard stuff and seen stuff about you know JB is is maybe on the table maybe not on the table What’s your honest thoughts of you know kind of those moves that was made and and and you know where you see the Celtics going forward
man you don’t like it because you looked at a team when they won last year you like man this team could be a dynasty cuz they were all relatively young
Uh still in their prime
you know they didn’t they didn’t already been through their growing pains and stuff but
you start to understand the business of it now because it’s new ownership
Mhm you know when new ownership come in PG that from what I seen from my time in the league and all the way up until now they I knew right away it’s going to be something cuz when I when I was in my second or third year we had a new owner and they traded everybody
And listen you just paid six billion for a team
You don’t want a $500 million payroll right
you in a business of making money at the end of the day Yeah you want to win
but you want to have you want a cheaper version to try to win And
I get it You know what they what they trying to do while still staying competitive But I I still think they window is open
I hope they don’t trade JB though As long as you got Tatum and Brown
you can figure out the other pieces because they still relatively young I mean JB will be 29 coming up I believe And Tatum 27 next year
Uh so they still got a lot And then the way y’all playing
look at KD is 30 is 37 Still playing high level Steph 37 still Brown 40 You know even yourself in your 30s y’all still play at a high level So they rel they are in their prime So you can say for the next six years let’s see what’s up with these two Cuz when you look at OKC
and what they did you know they got a for sure MVP allstar and then you got a a bunch of good players You know if you can surround that around JB and and Tatum
you just got to refigure it out now right you know I think this is the year coming up to where you like “All right this is a transition year Let’s evaluate everything.”
Yeah
Let’s see how far or how close we are when Tatum comes back So if they look at their self and they like a four or five seed
okay you add Tatum to that mix they still a contender
Yeah
Do you contribute like this stuff being the the whole new CBA right the aprons now getting involved
Yeah
And how teams construct they or how owners construct their teams and stuff You think that’s what’s cuz you hear you know I’ve heard you know uh Kroni talking about his Nuggets team one injury away and [ __ ] number 15 might be available
That’s crazy
You know what I mean so you think is this just what the new NBA is of you know owners we ain’t Listen it’s going to it’s going to affect us in the long run
Yeah
By staying in this second apron like let’s make moves when we can
Yeah But you got to understand these owners is they fans of the team but they businessmen
you know they like “Yeah I want to win but like I don’t want to get taxed over taxed
right?”
You know and so and that is going to change the way they build teams Now you ain’t going to see I don’t know if you’re going to see any more super teams
right you can’t
you you you can’t afford it because once you get into that apron second apron it’s like well hold on now I’m paying a $200 million tax
So I think the way teams is going to be built moving forward you going to have probably that one super max player
That’s true you know and then we got to figure out how we can use the rest of this money to make depth You saw Indiana this year they had a bunch of guys that were really good had a lot of depth
I mean in the case of OKC
they going to come up on this problem in a couple years cuz you got to pay Shay He going to make the super max Then you got to figure out what you giving Jay he probably worth the max too
Then like damn what you what about Shad
damn
Mhm Then what you going to do with the rest of these cats
right so they gonna get into a situation to can run It’s going to be the end of dynasties I think
you ain’t going to be able to keep teams together like how Spurs and Golden State you know the Lakers old Lakers you ain’t going to be able to do that no more And that’s why you seeing we have seven new champions in the last seven years
I don’t know if that’s ever happened I I No it’s never happened Like I can is I can name the all the champions
I can name every championship team from 80 till today
That’s crazy And it’s I don’t there’s no time where there are seven different champions
Yeah Yeah
Your Celtics team always believed that you guys would have won again if KG wasn’t injured in 2009 And you just talked about why dynasties are kind of going away Why do you think that is because again we haven’t seen a repeat champion in 10 years So what about today’s NBA makes it so difficult um to to to build a dynasty well for one you have to draft well You know all this you know getting guys in free agencies there’s only going to be a certain amount of teams that can get the free agents all the time You know like the Lakers or you know no tax state teams
So you have to get lucky in the draft Like OKC’s lucky in the draft Think about the dynasties The Spurs drafted well They drafted Duncan Jolobi Parker to go to state Draymond Clay and Steph
And the dynasties of uh the Lakers of course with Shaq and Kobe So all the other like there’s no other dynasties that that didn’t draft well You know you could trade free aces and all that but you got to build it through the draft Uh I think and you have to and a lot of these GMs don’t get like the the criticism that draft terrible cuz it’s not the coach it’s it’s it’s it’s these GMs that need to get called out
cuz I just seen it year after year that they don’t get called out and it’s just
and it hurts a player of like PG’s caliber like who brings so much to the table that they don’t build the right team around certain players
and then they waste their prime you know and and then it’s just like you get looked upon like different amongst your peers
Do you think OKC has a chance to have a dynasty because we were just talking about that on the last show And what are your thoughts on them continuing to win
i think they got the infrastructure for a dynasty They got draft picks Uh they right now cap space but they going to sign their players What they going to have to do is all right once you get their nucleus they going to have to continue to remake their bench
Yeah
You know what I’m saying but they have a plethora of of draft picks cuz them guys off the bench they starters
Like Isaiah Joe Wiggins they going to be starters Uh Caruso they going to be starters on other teams and they going to command more money in a couple more years and you not going to be able to pay everybody So you going to have to draft well again and they going to have to fill them roles with them other guys But they got the infrastructure to be a dynasty
Yeah that’s kind of what I that’s what I thought too like all the bench that you that the the bench guys you talking about right they they going to want to get paid It’s going to have to come down to do we want to win together or do we want to go get our bread you know what I mean you got to get your bread
And you got to go get your bread So like at the end of the day I don’t
they got they got they they got they said the same thing Like in order for that dynasty [ __ ] to work there like they got to be like “All right listen We we here to win.” Like uh man our window that’s not that’s not
that’s not our window to get this money
like it’s so short You never know
Like if I’m them cats and they like well do I want to I got a ring Do I want to get another ring for the for the 50 million or be in the playoffs for the 100
i’m going to the playoffs
Yeah I try over here right
yeah Like come on man It’s just like that’s a no-brainer you when you especially you young that’s you got to think you got to think about it when you first get in the league
you trying to establish your name and get paid like I don’t care I don’t care what nobody say yeah you want to win yeah okay that’s all cool
but you want to establish your name get and then when you get comfortable you’re like all right now it’s about more about winning you trying to establish your name establish your identity in the league and then winning I’m sorry to say it do come secondary like whether we want to say it or not nobody says it but like as a one player in the league You trying to establish your identity and let everybody know I’m here
Some of them getting that NIM money early now though
Yeah it’s different But that that NIL money ain’t NBA money
Yeah that’s true
True
There’s levels to this It is
I I want to ask you this though Pete Speaking of 2009 when your boy KG got hurt do y’all think y’all would have beat the Magic and the Lakers if he would have got hurt
yeah without a doubt Because you got to understand KG I think he missed about 30 games like you know and uh man you know we won 61 games I think we would have won 70 games that year if he wouldn’t have got hurt
if he wouldn’t have got hurt Think about that We didn’t have KG for 30 games and we won we still won 61 games
That’s a lot We just we knew we couldn’t win it without him Like we still we had the base and our system to where we can win in the regular season but you wasn’t gonna win no no Chip without KG You know he’s a heart and soul of everything that we did but we can still get through the reg Yeah Big Lord Big Lord Oh my god That’s Oh man we should we should have And then the next year we went we went back to the finals We pretty much coasted because we was old We was getting older We pretty much kind of coasted to 50 wins
and then turned it up when the playoffs came because we understood how to win But we feel like if Perkins don’t get hurt
that’s why we saying to win it all it’s hard to win in this league and you got to be good and lucky
Yeah
You got to look it has to be on your side at some point like Indiana Think about it
Like the shot bounces up That’s part of the journey That’s part of the luck You know what I’m saying so the year we won we was down 20 in game uh game four or something We came back down 20 in game four against the Lakers You’re never supposed to win against another championship team down 20 on their home floor like it don’t happen
We got we got the ball bounced our way We got lucky We came back one So that was part of our luck You know we we got lucky in the second round verse LeBron game seven You know he went for 46 He was a monster in his fourth year
Along the way everybody has luck and I can name every champion who had a lucky like Golden State first champion They had the they they dealt they beat teams in every round that had an injury to their star Mhm
You know what I’m saying
okc I’m thinking like [ __ ] if Hella Burton don’t get hurt they got a shot
Mhm
It looks like he came out He was going for it He was going
He came out prepared He was going for it He was going for the 40 ball He was he was going for it
So it happens You know KD tears his Achilles Toronto don’t beat them
2019 No Not a chance
That’s what I’m saying Like like Toronto got lucky
Kawawaii bounce You got lucky
You know it’s part of it’s part of the journey There’s going to be some luck around along the way I’ve seen too many times to like damn that is and Doc used to say it like we got to be good and lucky
Mhm
It’s real It’s a real thing It’s got to be real and lucky It’s a real thing That’s a real thing dog For real Well hey in this league I mean come on That’s right You playing with Hey I will tell you Doc he got the best pregame speeches I will tell you that though He gave you a good pregame speech Now that’s one thing I did appreciate about Doc man He He’ll have you ready He ready to hoop
You know what I mean he’ll hit you with some [ __ ] that
Yeah he will It might have nothing to do with basketball
He gonna try to teach you a lesson Yeah for real
Some [ __ ] he read in the newspaper
and he’ll somehow tie that [ __ ] in to get you ready for that game right he’s the best at that
I I I want to because you spoke about the injuries right
and this year we’ve seen you know not just players but stars go down You know De Jante Dame Tyrese Tatum I think it’s been reported from 1990 to 2023 45 NBA players
tore their Achilles but eight just in this season alone
Yeah From your perspective why why you think that’s such a common injury for the NBA now
man that’s crazy that you said that Me and KG was just talking about this man I think a lot of it is pro we say it’s a combination of the like pace is is is a part of it but we like man he like KG made an interesting point he was like they don’t practice no more
you know what I’m saying cuz now you conditioned to play so many games like when you practice like like let me ask you this like you what year did you come in
uh 2010
okay so now you didn’t played in like
you could say like three eras now y
so what’s the difference from like think about early 2010 and 11 till now
it is the practice and I’m and I’m the one for like I be pushing the coach like yo we we need to practice more like we need to p like because I when I came in the league I understood what that did for the season
for the season like our preparation yeah it was tough during like the practice days yeah it was tough it was a grind but when we got in the games it was easy
it was easy
the game was easy
I know where you going to be at I know what you doing
cool if we lose [ __ ] We just ain’t had legs But
right everything else easy
That’s what I say I say like cuz he was like they don’t practice no more because you have to be at a certain level being in shape Think about it You don’t practice for two days and you just go straight into a game going 110 Yeah
And then you like your body cold But if you like the way you practice every day is like it’s going to help your condition for play
Like I was so used to practicing every day that like the game was like this 33 minutes I’m about to play in the game ain’t nothing They’re like “I just got off the floor 2 and 1/2 hours We going up and down
like the day before Shoot I’ll get some sleep I’ll recover I’m a young athlete I’m a recover.”
You know what I’m saying as long as you getting your rest but I attribute it to
maybe the athletes are getting better
Uh the pace is still up But I think if they practice more you condition your body to like
to do these things not being all cold Cuz like if I just get up right here and just go hoop like I get up for right here and just go hoop I’mma I’mma I’mma strain something
You know what I’m saying but if I get on the treadmill for 30
over here jump rope then go hoop my body is going to be used to that already So just to be clear though for the viewers when you say like not practicing is it more so like practice consists of just getting some shots up or are you literally just not doing anything for a couple days or are you wanting just hey more like live game speed practice where it’s replicating the game
i I think a bit of both right i think I think like I don’t think we’re there where we need to because of how the game’s being played now right it’s a lot of up and down It’s a lot of that’s taxing on our bodies now So I’m I’m not saying practice how we used to practice back in you know even the 2010s for me but I do think it needs to be you know more than just kind of the shoot around type of practice where you’re
going through the motion Like nah like if if we going to be here for 30 45 minutes Yeah
Like let’s touch up Like let’s let’s let’s get something out of this It’s a waste of time to be here for 45 minutes and we just you know kind of walking through [ __ ]
We not prepared We not ready You like I I hate walking through plays
Yeah
Cuz the the who we playing they ain’t they ain’t going like Yeah Like I might know I I might know the play but [ __ ]
right
that like I was I was able to stop that cuz we walking through it Like I don’t know how fast he going to back cut this or the pace of he going to fly off this screen You know what I mean
everything
Yeah It’s easy and walk through like Yeah We can point switch this But then when it’s in games you wonder why [ __ ] falls in the crack because you point switching all the time and then you get in games like
point switch But [ __ ] we we we ain’t even close to even point switch cuz they going faster than what we expected So
I I think it do need to be like a a little bit more emphasis on like actually getting something out of practice
Do you think that I saw Mason uh I think it was Cam’s take but he blamed the low tops Hell no
That has nothing to do with it Yeah Yeah I think he tweeted like he don’t know the knowledge He did let that out be known first
I was reading that I’m like there’s no way
No
Did you Did you Did you know PG
is the only player that’s playing from his draft class
still in the league
yeah Retired The only one
That’s what I’m when he said 2010 I said I just remember the last person retired was uh the white boy
Yeah Gordon Gordon
Gordon Gordon Gordon Hayward Who’s the number one pick in your draft
john
John Wall
John Wall Right Damn
Yep That’s what it is
That’s crazy
Damn That is crazy
That’s crazy You know another thing too that uh the players don’t play as much as the players in my era talking about pickup Mhm
Like that was my whole summer
Like I play pickup every
day
You know what I’m saying so I was conditioned to play from first day of training camp because I played every day You know it’s different you know cuz everybody is doing a lot of more individuals I I can’t even remember doing individual work
Like cuz everything I did was
five on five
Yeah Yeah
And so now I look like it looked like everybody kind of got like the same game
Mhm
Like right now You know what I’m saying everybody doing like kind of the same little move Like the creativity of the game ain’t what it used to be you know ain’t no like you know Rondos or White Chocolates or like you know Steve Francis It’s like like maybe some Steve Francis with the handles but like the creativity you know the magic just like the creativity of the game is like it’s kind of gone
Yeah
You know what I’m saying you It’s 3 and D
Yeah Pretty much everybody’s developing into that
Yeah Cuz it ain’t like to your point that [ __ ] ain’t coming from the player
the play It’s coming from the trainer
You know what I mean
exactly The imagination’s not
The imagination gone This was this what my trainer taught me to do
So in this moment [ __ ] I’mma pull that out You know what I mean it ain’t it ain’t
if he beat me this way [ __ ] I let me try to like cuz I didn’t did this in pickup Like I know I got this in my bag Like it ain’t it it to your point Yeah It ain’t it ain’t none of that no more
Yeah Like Baron David watching BD with this man you know just
didn’t know what was going to happen
Didn’t know what they was going to do Right
Right It was like dang So I think that’s kind of gone But you know the athletes are better The skill is a lot better you know as far as just like the dribbling and the shooting I will say that like when I came into the league I think only like two the athleticism is off the charts by the way I think only like Vince Carter
Tracy McGrady can go through the legs Now it’s like at least two or three cats on your team that can do that dunk like
Right Right
You know what I’m saying think about that Viz Tracy and maybe like two other cats was doing a
man You got like three four cats on each team now that can do that I’m like damn athleticism is crazy
I think what I’m about to ask you right now is because he said this because he came out of high school I say and he’d been playing for so long The other day LeBron James said the league should have 10minute quarters And some NBA players say the NBA season should be shortened So I’mma put you in a commissioner seat right now and I want to know what’s your take
and what’s one change or rule you would implement if you were the NBA commissioner
Oh that’s a good one
This is going to be good This is We always talk about this like I would like you know what’s bothering me now about the NBA right now is just the amount of threes Mhm
Like you know like I saw the seller shoot 60 threes in the game Like I was just like damn they could just take it to the bucket
I would just like implement like threes can only be shot at a certain point of the game
Mhm
Like make the three LED Turn that [ __ ] off and then turn
and then turn it on like Oh there Look we going to get LED three Yeah Yeah Okay Now it’s off for the next 3 4 minutes You ain’t going to know when it’s off though
Yeah
But you know for the next 5 minutes it’s going to be on But it’s always on the last 5 minutes of the game
for you to try to come back That’ll be crazy But you got to implement I think you got to start implementing like the Fever rules you know I think they right about that cuz that’s the way they play around the world like the goending
and uh I don’t know Do they still white they don’t wide in the lane no more do they is that USA FIA
in Fever they do but not Olympics Yeah Not a limp
Uh
no No It’s It’s the same
Sensitive subject
Yeah But uh I would I would implement a lot of the world
my leg
Yeah Wasn’t that the basket was closer though wasn’t it
no but he’s talking about the the He’s talking about the the lane
Yeah Okay
I mean you almost can raise the basket like another inch or two The athletes are so good She only be the only one
The goalending would be crazy I feel like just because of just the athletes in today’s league like they be
adjust to the athlete adjust to the skill Like move the three-point line back
They can shoot way better now
cuz that’s how they shoot Move the free throw further back
Move the free throw back like the NFL moved the field goal back
That’s my valid point
Now these ain’t gimmies no more You really got to make a free throw
Move the [ __ ] back Make that
be crazy The court larger
Mhm These athletes are amazing athletes That’s the that just stands out to me That
So if you make it larger would they want to go from like 94 feet to 100 feet but then are you now you
get to widen it out a little bit and now we going to have some real space and pace
But you but I think I think that’s going to change pace That’s going to change pace of play Like that’s going to change
No cuz the players always going to adjust They always going to get in better shape They always are Yeah
we adjust to everything
But I think so Okay
At first it may be look that way
Are you going Are you going for
So with your rule are you now bringing back the post big men yep
Got to
Yes
You got to Yeah That’s a Yeah let’s bring like that’s just that’s a part of the game Yeah
Like Yeah Let him work Get get like you have to
if you do that no more
No because the court longer So you going to have to kind of sometimes slow it down Slow it down Yeah Yeah Ain’t no Ain’t no three We going to take advantage of that You bring back the Yeah You bring back you bring it back back to the basket soon as that light
You know what I’m saying
and be like that’s such a bad Soon as they see that
bags they not the same I think we had better offensive bag Mhm
You know like like
but y’all had uniqueness too Everybody was different You know what I mean
everybody was different That’s what I’m saying Everybody was different
Yeah Like I feel like everybody emulate you know now because back then like I I I’m just thinking about like my time right like you had a
like there was a a Dirk Ninsky step back there was a a Paul Pierce fade there was a Jordan fade a Kobe fade Now like the only one that really stands out is
Steph’s you know it’s kind of Steph and
Dame Dame Maybe James is pretty creative now
James kind of old school with with the creativity
man I I don’t think James get enough credit for changing the game
right
like I I said that like like they say Steph but like James too
Y
like his that like a lot of kids is doing his [ __ ]
Y
like and people don’t talk about that
Yep
Obviously
I think I think and this might be a hot take I think James when he had the like cuz that’s how teams like if if James were around for what this how teams got to be built now cuz he was you give him the ball he can create he can make everything Yeah right
He ran into the super teams right you know what I mean like if James is a part of this [ __ ] now Fresh James like it might have been difficult you know what I mean it might have been difficult for [ __ ] to get past James right and he was a he was uh you know they changed a lot of rules because of him You know like they changed cuz he was he was the first I guess what they call this a foul merchant now A foul merchant
He was but like they had to say all right we can’t give him that call no more He’s too dominant with this You know he outsmarting the refs right you know so the refs they had to come back You know what you know every year they come back with a new a new rule like okay we’re not gonna allow this now They was doing that every year with James
Mhm
And so he don’t get enough credit for like his his changing of the game
Being a pro athlete is a year round grind Training doesn’t stop even in the summer’s heat No matter how hot the summer gets Liquid IV can help keep you hydrated for the adventures ahead This offseason I’ve been using Liquid IV and I love how easy it is Just tear pour and enjoy That’s right P I was on set the other day and I ripped open a pack of Liquid IV to keep me fresh during those long shoots You can use them anywhere anytime late nights during a workout or even when you’re on a summer vacation It contains three times the electrolytes of the leading sports drink plus eight vitamins and nutrients Just one stick plus 16 ounces of water Hydrates better than water alone Turn your ordinary water into extraordinary hydration The summer heat means it’s the perfect time to try the new Arctic raspberry flavor You heard the guy Squeeze the most out of your summer with Liquid IV Tear pour live more Go to liquid iivv.com and get 20% off your first order with code podcastp at checkout That’s 20% off your first order with code podcastp at liquid iv.com So break the mode and your own ritual and try Liquid IV I got to keep it on your boy KG man because you know this man better than any of us sitting down at this table And we all know how intense and how wild his black ass was when he was in the NBA So I got to ask you what the hell is it like having him as a teammate and you two have been teammates but for how many how many years y’all played
i don’t even Let’s see He came in 2008 and we played up until I think we played like five or six years in Boston But I’ve been knowing KG since high school
Exactly And off the court Y’all need a podcast So with that said please tell me
what is it like on a dayto-day basis when you are with this guy man
With Lord
With Lord Hey so look he don’t turn off It’s never like like what you see on our podcast is the same as what you see on the court It’s just it’s intense like he’ll get the sweating while we doing our podcast You know you got to give him some napkins for like Lord shut down Like Lord that’s just him That’s just him
You know what I’m saying and then like people look like oh that’s that’s no he just he like that off the court like with the kids like come on get in the car Get in the car But then but then he got but then he actually do have a switch because he like dog being around him it’s like it’s gravitating cuz he got the best stories
like man it just like he got a aura about him like cuz he he hella funny like I mean you see him on but like I just remember sometimes on the plane so like this is hilarious So we’ll be on the plane you know in the league and you know Lord will tell a story boom boom to a certain this year’s team So you know next year we might have a couple new rookies or free agents
He going So I’m over here you know I always be just in
you know I I know all his story So I’m hearing story I heard his story a million times So now I’m over here like this [ __ ] just done added some [ __ ] to this story And so like every year he added something to the story out of here and I’ll be on here and I ain’t going to blow his spot up and he going to add something extra to the story every year No that used to be so funny It went from a lion to a dragon you know it’ll go from like you know a to it’s just like just extra It’s like a extra on but then he’ll be sitting there and all the rookies and players knew and they be like it’s like a campfire they leaning on the side like he fire right now But that was the funny part about he top five He he top five storytellers I promise you I promise you the story got better every time too And I I can’t even I can’t even like I can’t explain it You just got to come back You got to come to the podcast Please invite me man I for sure whenever I’m pulling up whenever
Speaking of KG you know it just looks like every time he would play basketball he just looked like he was ready And you know maybe he had some pregame stuff that we he would do but there’s a clip I don’t know if they’re going to show it again but the clip of him where he’s got the little water bottle he throws it in his face and then he spits it up in the air Like were you ever on the bench looking at this dude like bro like
No but like you you do I mean that’s just him He’s so intense man You don’t know what he going to do you know because before the game you know I don’t know Like if you look at him before the game before the jump ball he going to be in a full sweat Like you just seen him
man That man going to be full lather sweat like
and then before he goes to the jump ball he going to hit his head against the post
the goal post and just like that’s just like like the thing is like before the game you couldn’t really say nothing like he not talking to you like ticket
he’s so locked in you can’t even tell him nothing
like he’ll be in the back So if we in the locker room he’ll be he’ll get his uh tape He got his peanut butter and jelly sandwich He going to uh man then he just kind of like be in a zone like you can’t even like you could be right here like “Hey Tick.”
Just
he going to just act like he feel nothing He He just He locked in
Yeah
Hey Tick
come on man Yeah like once he but if you don’t know tick
and you a young fella you gonna learn that quick and you don’t just leave him alone till the game start you know what I’m saying we had a rookie come in check this out we playing pickup we in there September we had a rookie come in this was like uh 2010 or something whatever KG didn’t come to the first day of pickup so he got there the third third day of the week it was early September so the rookie was like he didn’t have no shoes so out of all the people that wore 15s He grabbed KG’s That was a mistake So now we on the court KG looked down like “Yo what the [ __ ] you doing on my shoes man?” I think he probably ripped him off his feet right like it was like and and from that point on it was all bad for the rookie the whole year
The whole year Yeah I think his name was uh uh uh J.R Giddens J.R Giddens You heard j.r Giddens It was J.R Giddens
Man it was all bad for him you know cuz this is our this is our first kind of introduction to like the new generation now So it’s around 20101 This is our new generation You know we not used to this So now he coming on the bus
Right Right Right Doing all this We like we don’t do that though You know we start seeing the new stuff like you know like like hold on man chill chill like we ain’t feeling that you know like and then after like it was just like it was just like man that was that was the first you know this is the new school for us now but we was still on our old school tactics
Yeah So he was out of there that year the next year But it was just like too much dancing
When I started seeing the change of everything as I got older just seeing the new school coming and how they was doing it it was just like damn you know I knew that was kind of like the beginning of the end Like when I like when iPhone was doing the the social media when I got to Washington man it was nobody on shoot wasn’t on the court until shoot around started Like you know I’m used to being out there an hour before a shoot around warming up sweating lifting
Yep
You know boom doing my then I go in the locker room like “What y’all what y’all doing?” Everybody on their phones
like “Damn this is the new this the new.”
And you don’t want to turn them off cuz you want them to go hard for you But I That’s when I just started real like you know it’s probably time for me to start It was I knew it was headed It was the beginning of the end Yeah
When I started seeing that
I’m nosy as hell Uh B and I don’t think you know that So I got to bring up some old [ __ ] for you cuz I’m nosy Uh so I got to ask man what is your perspective on the night
Camello Anthony was waiting by the bus for your boy KG and you know they call you Truth
Yeah
So I’mma have to ask you right now to give me the truth on that whole incident when they had the words on the court man And he was waiting
Yeah So I didn’t hear what was said You know it’s it’s a lot of speculation on that and I never asked him You know what I’m saying uh I didn’t know it was going to escalate to that cuz we was on the court and I was just like damn You know KG used to get under people’s skin You know he’ll say something something foul but you know I don’t you know I don’t know if he ever Well maybe he had crossed the line a couple times now Think about it Like he just said I didn’t heard him say but I didn’t hear him in New York And so I was still in the locker room I guess you know and I guess him Too and Big Baby went down there I guess Carmelo was down This is what I heard before I even came down from the shower cuz it was just like it escalated quick like a Melo down there Like you know you know you got to walk down the ramp or take the elevator down to where that where we all kind of be right there They cars is there our bus right there And I got on the bus and I’m like you know we’re ticking They was like they out there something going down So I get off the bus like damn what’s going on but about time all of that I guess they had shook hands or something They they you know whatever that was But Melo felt like it was something disrespectful saying like to this day like I said I never asked KG like man what did you really say or like cuz I’ll be watching the tape and I don’t see and I and I ain’t see I ain’t see where he said anything but honestly Melo ain’t going to be like that you know I know Mel ain’t going ain’t going to just overreact to some something that was some [ __ ]
So uh to this day I just you know I think they squashed it maybe I don’t even know I think I heard Melo on this podcast you know say they they they talked or whatever But uh I I to this day I swear to you
on my kid I never asked him what he said in that situation And it’s a few things that’s happened on my on my team with a few teammates and I never I don’t want to even know
you know and it’s speculation Like even the stuff with Dante and LeBron I I don’t even ask
You know what I’m saying
some things don’t need to be I I don’t I don’t even know that type of stuff
Lord don’t ask me that [ __ ]
Yeah Yeah I don’t even need to know that stuff You know I just like whatever I mind my business I stay out of everybody else
Yeah I think one thing the newer generation respect you know especially like obviously we we love being critiqued right we love you know you got the shacks who kind of poke at you to to motivate you It’s more coming from a place of I see the potential I know you could be better
but I think it offends some people because they think they attacking them
Yeah Um you know you come off in a way of critiquing but you know it it’s a way of receiving it because it the approach right like you don’t ever put guys down It’s kind of just understanding the times and
you know I I think you you you playing you played the game You’ve been a superstar I think you see it in a lens
of where I’ve been there done that I know what this is like I know what he’s going through Do you feel the fans do you feel players kind of you know uh do you think they they kind of the way you view the game you think they they kind of see the way that you’re approaching it
yeah I I think so
They’re like receptive of it I should say
Yeah I mean listen I I’m one that’s like look I love this new generation Like the game is growing Like we can’t be stuck on our ways as old school and stuff Like the game is growing I’m glad that I could say that I helped elevate this game for the next generation to get more money to be allowed to express themselves through the way they dress or whatever they say You know what I’m saying i like the fact that
what I don’t like is like where some of these former players just think it’s Stayway or the highway right you know what I’m saying that brand of ball don’t exist out here
right like you know just because you did it that way that ain’t that won’t work today you know and they criticize that
you know it just is what it is I feel like with this group you just got to fall in line Like we had our like you got understand when I was in the league as a young player the older players was doing the same thing
Yeah
You you know and learning from that I just was like you know what we can’t be like
our older generation We got to be more receptive to them so they receptive to us so we can have conversations So like you know I go to NBA games I I see young fellas I go to UCLA and I don’t want them looking at me like “Oh this see a hater or something like that.” You know I might hate on some teams because of like I hate on New York That was our rival
you know that’s right Okay That’s that’s just fun for me
right you know but outside of that like I admire where the game is I admire these new generational players and and I respect them and I think that’s key
Mhm I’ve seen MJ joining the NBA on NBC And one of his biggest reasons was to to kind of how you view the game like give our players their flowers like to be kind of a positive voice and uplifting our players Do you think that kind of put to rest some of the
the other players that kind of give the negative like if MJ saying this [ __ ]
MJ come out and just give the flowers everybody gonna have to shut the hell up Yeah
Like it’s MJ You seeing the goat
like look all right I think the rest of the older school players older than me will fall in line
you know i think that’s important I’m glad that Mike is going to be able to come out and give his perspective
finally
Uh I mean that old man was a busy man that man traveling the world smoking cigars
smoking cigars running a bill running his billy up on his shoes man he deserve that
I think that alone is going is going to like bring traffic to the NBA like that alone from just hearing MJ like
I ain’t even got to watch the game I can go do what I got to do and hear MJ talk about the [ __ ]
I feel like that’s like a football thing typically the football guys all the old school legends they
like like when Tom Brady started calling games bro It was just even Tony Romo like their perspective on the game
is just like damn they see it differently Like they calling [ __ ] out
I ain’t even know what to look for now I see what’s happening
because of Tony Robbo’s calling out
Hear Jordan’s take on the game today when he talk that Oh my god
I read and Pierce maybe correct me if I’m wrong and it kind of contradicts what you said I thought Stephen A came out and said that they maybe had a discussion and that MJ is going to it was more harsh like he’s going to call it how he sees it and that MJ’s not going to hold back on it if if he like it was more of a harsh stance
I saw it differently
Yeah
Yeah
Did you guys see that
yeah Stem text Yeah He said something like that
All right Well we got to take it It’ll be interesting either way But uh I want to ask you about another one of your teammates Kendrick Perkins
and uh he’s in the media space now as well Um and I’m just kind of curious with your relationship with him as a teammate as a friend if you guys have that relationship Did you ever think that a guy like Kendrick Perkins would become like a media guy or was it kind of out of left field from from your perspective i didn’t know or think that was be his future but I I know when I was tire when I was retired he would ask me about it because I I jumped in it right when I retired I actually was doing it my last two years cuz I worked the finals while I played and then when I retired I was already doing
uh stuff with ESPN But I I think he uh he gets it and
I think he’s doing a fabulous job by the way You know I think you know I questioned some of his things and I have told him like “Hey you know chill out.” You know they can’t be talking to coach about Coach Mazula like that
Right Right
You know what I’m saying and but you know it’s good to see you know more and more former players in the in the space because I think the players will respect that more than some journalist
ripping you all the time and saying these things because I didn’t respect that when I didn’t play There was certain journalists that would say stuff and I’d be like “Who who who the hell is he?” Like “Who are you?” Like you know what I’m saying it’s just like like I hope I run into you and see if you can say that to my face
Exactly
Like you know what I’m saying so like to have players you know more and more into the space And I love like with Amazon and uh NBC is like I’m seeing like all the people they hiring like Carmelo D Wayade uh all the uh Blake Griffith uh you know Candace Parker I love the fact that we gonna get more and more on a national television scene of the players perspective because
uh when you I can I can
I can accept it more
right it comes from people who’ve played at the high level
right and at the end of the day it it’s it’s from a place of being coached too You know what I mean it’s
Yeah They critiquing you but it’s also they coaching you You know what I mean like they seeing it differently So it is easier to take
Yeah coming from someone that did it Like it’s it’s you teaching you critiquing you breaking me down but you’re also showing me what I’m doing wrong and what I could get back They can keep it like in that lane and not make everything so debatable
Yeah You know that’s cool because that’s what you there to do You’re there to analyze You’re there to say how you feel And you know at times you can be critical That’s part of the job And I think that’s what the newer generation got to understand too
It’s true Last episode we asked P his take on T-Mac comments that T-Mac said he would have won a ring if he was with Shaq instead of Kobe So you played against Kobe on the biggest stage So do you agree with T-Mac uh the take from T-Mac
yeah I completely agree with that T-Mac I’m telling you dog Listen T-Mac was another level He needed that one other superstar If you had to put T-Mac with KG if you had to put T-Mac with Shaq you know yeah people be like “Oh he played with Yao Ya was kind of hurt He was in and out.”
And like you put T-Mac with LeBron man Come on
Just anybody that’s Wendy right now
Yeah But I’m saying like think about the guys who are who are fortunate to play with each other You know Wade and Braun You put Wade and Mack for sure right like you know Kobe and Shaq T-Mac and Shaq like true
man come on it it would have been ridiculous
I wonder why he said you think Shaq and not Kobe though
What you mean you think
like he could have won it with Shaq i mean with uh Kobe as well Don’t you think
that would have been that might have been a little bit more difficult Shaq is Shaq That’s why it’s
I know But he said that’s a good one
Any other super I think cuz cuz they they’re in the same position right and and they’ve been you know
that team would have been tough to beat
Kobe and T-Mac man That would have gave you night You wouldn’t be able to sleep like
like you going to wake up like even like like me as a perimeter dude
and I’m like I’m guarded in two and the three I’m like it don’t matter which one I got to guard my poison Like damn which one I’m ain’t no break right
ain’t no break with either one of them Like you know a break could probably be T-Mac because K had that killer killer killer instinct
You know Mac did too
Just like you just man that would have been a nightmare You would have started talking about Pippen Jordan type [ __ ] with them two
I would have I wonder who would have like played the like kind of second fiddle with them cuz T-Mac was so skilled I remember telling T-Mac I was like “Man you you probably the most skilled player I ever played against.”
Mhm
Like it was just like it was ridiculous cuz I didn’t get a ch like I played against Cole but I played against T-Mac way more
Yeah Being on the East huh
being on the East you know I’m playing against him four times a year and it’s like damn I remember that That was a gauntlet The East was a gauntlet
Mhm
At the perimeter man Especially like Dan by the time you got in you got to understand like it was like every single night it was somebody Vance T-Mac uh you had Jamal Mashburn when I came in big dog Robinson
and then LeBron Melo came in it was like the perimeter then you had
Cole Shawn Mary the perimeter was ridiculous like every single night I had to play against an allstar I felt like
in the East and like like Danny Granger was there before you he Allar you know what I’m saying
it was like the East with Ray Allen in Milwaukee It was just like every night I felt like I ain’t get no rest
Yeah
Like no rest Cuz I It’s funny you brought up Danny cuz I I think I think Danny my OG right i think the world of Danny Danny was one of the like toughest
cuz that’s who I was sparring against when I was coming out in the draft Danny was the one I was working out with Like so I got a chance He helped develop me and get me to where I was at And just ironically I fell in Indie where he was at I’m sure the conversations of how of us working out probably helped But
just yo like Dan like cuz people sleep on Danny and how good Danny was and how strong as [ __ ] Danny was Like
man Danny was a monster That’s what I’m trying to tell He was he was a allstar Yeah You know and he was like he was one of the more underrated players
in the NBA cuz he could shoot He can get to the basket uh athletic I mean not as athletic as like
like you
he was one of them sneak like sneak
sneaky athletic but he he was high IQ
Uh get you a spot but like Yeah Danny I like Danny game a lot
Yeah
Yeah He he don’t really get the Oh Michael Red I forgot about him
It was like
like every night it was just like it was crazy Then let me think who was down in Orlando Uh even like Taloo forgot about him He was a problem Not going to lie he was a problem
Yeah he was cold
man He was a problem dude He hit a game winner on me on national TV That [ __ ] brought back memories quick
I was sick You see he forgot me at the top I challenged it hard too Like man like ABC I’m keep thinking about what you said about how it was just different back there and the game looks the same All those guys you just listed off are just
all the perimeter It was just
But still like that what a what a gambit of different players
Like the perimeter is not like this is the what a point guard area maybe more so I was in the perimeter area
because like who’s the best two guard in the league
right now
right now Shay
Shay’s considered he’s the one
Oh he the point Yeah
Like think about our level our our top two guards It was
Kobe Wade Iverson Ray All like you know what I’m saying
i don’t think I don’t think that’s kind of like the top tier was
was top tier
you know at at the at the perimeter position You know I came in against I mean not Jordan
Scotty Pippen and Grant Grant Hill
Grant Hill Damn I I almost cried my rookie year the way he
Yeah He got hurt He no way the way he came the way he came he he went at me so crazy that I had to rethink my position in the NBA I was just like damn can I even play in the league like I cannot do nothing with him I couldn’t stop no move he gave me
It was just like every time down I got exposed and I was like hold I got to get my [ __ ] together Paul there’s been a lot of talk uh around the NBA just on the ring culture and being a champion yourself Do you think that the fans and the media judge great players too harshly for not winning or are you in the mindset that that’s a a fair criticism since winning is the ultimate goal
i think it’s it’s fair you know because think about this like what am I even playing for am I playing for the money am I playing for notoriety like you grow up in the park and you go and spend countless hours because you want to win
And the great ones they all show that they can win And that’s why like all the great ones we know to be at the top But the thing is the the cats who don’t win rings they get their credit down Don’t think that we don’t talk highly of like Iverson guys like Charles Barkley uh with Carl Malone like they in the top like these is top 75 players
You know what I’m saying
uh and if you like like you got to ask the players like who played against them This media stuff is different You know if you put a Iverson with Shaq do they win a title i think so Like like you like I said you got to have the right
situation the right team the right owner
to to like capitalize on their generational players It it don’t happen for everybody You know what I’m saying it just doesn’t And that’s why Braun left Cleveland because he wasn’t confident in the ownership to put the pieces around him to help him win And that’s where we at today
you know to that like the players just taking it in their own hand to say “Man I’m not trusting ownership to like and riding it out with ownership to help me get to where I need to go uh to the next level I’m I’mma figure it out I’m going to go over here and the grass may not be greener on the other side but I like the fact that the players is just taking control and putting their destiny in their own hand because now there’s no excuse
right
that’s history
right all right Before we wrap we want to introduce this new segment that we want to call P or not P.” Yeah And Bonnke here is going to break it down for us What you got for us Bonnie
all right So fellas we going to ask Paul about some questionable but funny moments in his career
And everyone can share what it’s P or not P And y’all know what that mean All right So first up
back in 2014 this [ __ ] was funny After game one one of one of your surprise wins in Toronto you celebrated by throwing your headband into the crowd
Oh wow
And one of the fans said and threw it back
And then he threw it somewhere else again Did they throw it back
then did he throw it again was it twice that’s one
He did Catches it What did he do
let’s see
Oh he kept it He kept it Oh man That’s P Right there That’s anonymous P
That’s Is there Was there backtory to that was it was that
You know what going into that series I trolled the uh the Toronto team I was like they not like that
you know So the story was like uh
I said they don’t got the it factor or something So it was a big article with me looking like a old wizard uh or old man or something I think Wait was it I said they ain’t like that or something like that And then uh I just was like “Here take the headband y’all.” You know
pretty much here You’re lucky I don’t do something else I knew I was going to do that cuz they hated me in Toronto Yeah
like I always got booed up there
Yeah
man It was fun though
We have another clip of you trying to kick a field goal with Keshan Johnson at his old high school
but the only problem is I think is you had some jeans on
So look I tried to pull my pants up like all you see is ankles dog Look
all you see is an Look
look I’m trying to tell you dog It looked it looked like you could do it on TV but when you really get out there dog like oh it’s
like you can’t like I didn’t want to pull my hamstring like it’s man Look at the look at the field
I’m like Kean this dirt I need grass
I’m kicking on dirt They they do this on grass This ain’t grass
I need grass I need grass Or some artificial artificial turf Come on That should count
So what is this this pee
that ain’t pee That ain’t pee
That’s not pee
That’s not pee But you stop me
I’mma I’mma I’mma go pee for the cause
I’m going go pee for the cause
Going to go just for the attempt to get out there and just you know put yourself out there cuz y’all y’all did something for the for the hood
Oh yeah Yeah We was just talking to the kids So it’s all school That’s P for kids to see
I would say not pee because of the ankles No but I had to pull them off You know I had to pull the pants up All right we got another one We had DeAndre Jordan on the show last season and he reminisced on the night that you pulled up at his crib in Texas to get him to resign with the Clippers But according to him you had never met him before I ain’t never met
pulling up on
pulling pulling up on strangers
Did he say he like locked him in a he locked him in a room or some [ __ ] he said he locked him in a room like
we all we all did cuz it was like me CP Doc Balmer
We all flew on Balmer’s private jet like now we bringing the papers for him to sign
Yeah You know so they wanted me on there So I flew with him You know never meeting DJ walking into his house meeting everybody you know It was like you know I was part of the cause We was trying to resign a big fella You know
I say that’s P
Yeah You know what I’m saying we was trying to resign a big fella He was like
one of the top big men at that time So they needed to get him back you know cuz he was contemplating going somewhere else Dallas at the time he said
Yeah So we was like “No let’s go Paul Come on We want you to come.” So I jumped on a private jet with Bomber and all them We went down to Houston where he lived
That was something like they did to you right who
when they brought Dr J
Oh yeah Yeah Yeah They pulled out they pulled out the stops
and they locked him in his house No Somebody put a chair on the door
No somebody did
Yeah All the way like
Oh yeah He not going nowhere chair at a tilt
like no they did Yeah going old school
They did They did I remember they did that They signed the papers
P or not P
That’s P That’s P That’s going P
I say that’s P Before we wrap I want to shout out my high school Shout out Coach Hegry for winning the CIF Southern Section Championship They defeated I believe Cedar Hill So shout out to them I wore a sweater just for them for this episode Uh P appreciate you being a part of the episode brother
No doubt
Yes sir This definitely was a special one
Y’all keep checking us out and stay tuned [Music]

Boston Celtics legend Paul Pierce pulled up to Podcast P to chop it up with the guys about the current state of the Boston Celtics, how the rise in achilles injuries should concern the NBA, what life is like as KG’s “teammate” for nearly three decades and much more.
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0:00 Introduction
6:54 Current State of the Boston Celtics
10:40 End of Dynasties?
15:40 Could the ’09 Celtics have repeated if KG didn’t get hurt?
19:15 Harsh Truths behind achilles injuries
27:00 Paul Pierce proposes NBA Rule Changes
33:52 Kevin Garnett Stories but they keep Getting Better and Better
46:45 MJ Joining NBA on NBC
51:30 T-Mac Saying he would have Won a Ring with Shaq
59:55 P or Not: Hilarious Paul Pierce Moments