By Joël Pütz | Sports journalist
If Kobe Bryant’s final season was the scene of true reverence from the entire league, such treatment is not reserved for all players, no matter how legendary they may be. A Hall of Famer learned this the hard way and Draymond Green did not hesitate to humiliate him during his last match…
More than 26,000 points and 7,500 rebounds in his career, a ring and iconic status with the Celtics as well as ten selections in the All-Star Game: yes, Paul Pierce was indeed one of the best players of the 2000s. ‘elsewhere why his last regular season match remains one of the saddest of all time. While he was playing for the Clippers, he had practically not set foot on the floor for his final outing…
Paul Pierce pulled the triple 0 in his last game ???????? pic.twitter.com/vElKgH50Tp
— Ben (@BlueJaysOG) August 23, 2022
Draymond Green mercilessly with Paul Pierce in 2017
A zero score in just two minutes of playing time, that sums up his last season well. Because if The Truth was absolutely immense during its prime, it really hit rock bottom when it returned to its native California. Nailed to the bench, clumsy at shooting, he went through hell in Los Angeles. Even to the point where he ended up losing the respect of his peers, including that of a certain Draymond Green.
Read also
“I regret every day having signed with the Clippers”
In February 2017, Clippers and Warriors faced each other in the Bay. PP34 hadn’t played a single minute then, but he didn’t hesitate to provoke the Dubs inside, as the latter remembers:
I wasn’t even planning on talking to Paul Pierce. And he started talking from the kick-off: “He can’t defend BG (Blake Griffin) on you, he’s too small. »And there I was on fire.
Known for reacting to the slightest provocation, Green responded with the greatest violence by humiliating Pierce during a free throw:
You’re chasing this farewell tour, but they don’t like you like that! Nobody cares about your farewell tour. You don’t have that kind of love! Did you think you were Kobe? Stop pretending to be Kobe.
The future Hall of Famer then remained frozen, unable to respond to such a missile. Years later, Draymond still derives great satisfaction from it:
The thing about trash talking is that it just comes to you. Boom you say something, it’s right there in your head. (…) I think it was great, it also closed the door for him.
Unlike Kobe Bryant who left with fireworks (60 points against the Jazz), Paul Pierce left the NBA with total indifference. 2 minutes of playing time in his last outing in the regular season, a ghostly match resulting in a defeat in the playoffs… Clearly, his farewell did not live up to his career.
2023-12-25 08:00:00
#Stop #pretending #Kobe #cares #farewell #tour
