LeBron James has many rivals in the NBA, especially after winning two NBA championships, but one man who refuses to mix business and pleasure with James is Paul Pierce. Pierce spoke to the press about James and said it isn't personal, but he wants nothing to do with anyone but the Brooklyn Nets on and off the court.
"I think it is more of a basketball thing,"
“I think that is a big part of my success, period. I am not intimidated by nobody in the league. There are always going to be great players and there's always going to be challenges. That is one of my greatest strengths, I am not afraid to face challenges or any matchup in the league.”
Pierce, along with Celtics teammate Kevin Garnett, came to Brooklyn as a last ditch effort to get another championship, but they find a familiar foe in their way in James. This will be the fifth time Pierce and Garnett will see James in the postseason, but James leads the playoff series 13-12 after the Heat knocked out the Celtics in the 2012 Eastern Conference finals in game seven.
When asked about his relationship with James off the court, Pierce was just as hostile, but again his logic wasn't wrong.
"I really don't have a relationship with anybody in the NBA outside my teammates. You know? These are guys that I respect. Been to the All-Star Game with a lot of them. It is a mutual respect. That's all. It is not like I am calling anybody. My friends are pretty much who I grew up with and my family.”
James’ Miami Heat and Pierces’ Brooklyn Nets tip off game one of their best of seven series Tuesday night. The Nets swept the regular season series 4-0.
[ESPN]
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