The Los Angeles Lakers are gearing up for their playoff debut this Saturday at Crypto.com Arena, where they’ll take on the Minnesota Timberwolves. The game is set to feature marquee players Anthony Edwards and LeBron James. Amid the buildup, former Celtics star Paul Pierce, a longtime rival of LeBron, has pinpointed a weakness that could give Minnesota an edge.
Pierce, who knows LeBron’s game better than most, faced James repeatedly during his career, starting from LeBron’s rookie season with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003. Interestingly, Pierce holds one of the few winning regular-season records against the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, going 21-18 in their matchups.
However, when it comes to playoff battles, the Lakers star has the upper hand, with a 17-13 record over Pierce. Drawing from his extensive experience facing James, Pierce shared a specific strategy he employed to exploit LeBron’s mental game at the free-throw line.
“I would always talk to LeBron. I would say little things to him, jab at him. Especially when he got to the free throw line, I would always talk to him because he would miss crucial free throws,” Pierce revealed in an interview with Skip Bayless.
LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers drives around Paul Pierce #34 of the Boston Celtics during Game One of the Eastern Conference Semifinals during the 2010 NBA Playoffs. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Pierce reflects on his first encounter with LeBron
LeBron James became a household name long before his NBA debut, showcasing extraordinary talent during his time at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School. Even then, he was performing at a level some NBA players couldn’t match. Still, not everyone believed the hype at the time. Pierce admitted he was skeptical when he first heard about the teenage prodigy.
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“It’s crazy! The first time I heard about this kid, he was in high school. Remember, everybody was going to watch his games? I remember Antoine Walker going to watch his game, and I’m like, ‘Man, who is this kid?’ And they was like, he can play in the All-Star game right now, like out of high school,” Pierce recalled. “And I was like, ‘Really? He that good?’”
From the moment LeBron entered the league, Pierce made it his mission to challenge him. “So when he was drafted, I was like, I’m going to test him from Day 1. And from Day 1, I was going at him,” Pierce continued.
“Like, how are you going to call a 19-year-old kid a king? Like what has he done? And we played in the same position. I always relished in challenging myself while playing against him,” he added.
