In the preseason, players take it slow on the court as coaches experiment with different line-ups and tinker their rotations in hopes of getting the right formula for the season. As such, preseason games in the NBA are miles away in terms of intensity as compared to the regular season and the playoffs.
But for new Brooklyn Net Paul Pierce, his lowered shoulder on a charging four-time MVP LeBron James indicates the team's goal of becoming more defensive-oriented this year.
The play-off-like foul on James who was going coast-to-coast in the first quarter was a message to the rest of the league, added Pierce.
"We want to be a hard, grind-it-out team. We want nothing to be easy. That's what we're trying to show in the last couple of games, the way our defense has been playing. We've given up so few points. That's the message we want to send. Some nights our shots are not gonna fall, but we can control that end [the defensive end] of the court," he told ESPN.com.
Pierce's foul on James with 6:46 left in the first quarter drew a lot of reaction from fans and observers who noted that the foul was rather inappropriate given that the teams were playing a pre-season game.
Pierce and Kevin Garnett were traded to the Nets from the Celtics which opted to rebuild around Rajon Rondon. Both Pierce and Garnett have a long history against James and their addition to the Nets will further heat up the Nets-Heat rivalry.
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