Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics made history last season by winning their 18th NBA championship, surpassing the Los Angeles Lakers for the most titles in league history. This win marked the Celtics’ first championship since 2008. Celtics legend Paul Pierce recently weighed in on the comparison between the 2008 Boston and Tatum’s side.
Former Celtics star Paul Pierce was in Boston’s 2008 championship-winning squad. On Monday’s episode of The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz, Pierce weighed in on the 2008 Celtics team and Jayson Tatum’s 2024 team. While Pierce acknowledged the talent of the current Celtics, he shared the toughness of the 2008 team.
“It’s damn close. I ain’t gonna lie, this team is really good. But I will tell you this: our team, we knew how to break teams mentally. So what we lacked in skill versus them, we had with will. We’re gonna turn it into a bar fight, you know what I’m saying? This ain’t gonna be finesse, this is gonna be body blow, body blow,” Pierce said.
"This team is really good, but I will tell you this, our team we knew how to break teams mentally." @paulpierce34 on how his Boston Celtics teams would fare against today's Boston Celtics.
— Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz (@LeBatardShow) December 2, 2024
WATCH: https://t.co/0mH91SieKi pic.twitter.com/lNbiYVBqqO
Pierce also reflected on his role in breaking the will of LeBron James during their 2008 matchup in the playoffs. He confidently claimed that his Celtics team was a major factor in LeBron’s decision to leave Cleveland for Miami after that series.
“Listen, when you start getting guys in foul trouble in the first quarter, I’ve [been] known to break a few wills, you know, send some of them from Cleveland to Miami,” he added.
Jrue Holiday Praises Jayson Tatum’s Handling Of Limited Minutes in Paris Olympics
Throughout the Paris Olympics, Steve Kerr was on fire for benching Jayson Tatum and also for his limited action in other games. On the latest episode of ‘Podcast P’ with Paul George, Tatum’s teammate Jrue Holiday opened up about his teammate’s limited playtime in the Olympics.
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral NBA stories via Google! Follow Us
“It is definitely hard to see because you want the best for your men. I want them to be able to play as many minutes, do all that, and win all the accolades. At the same time, I feel like they were as professional as could be. JT, the way he handled it like a professional, he never brought it into the locker room,” Holiday said.
Tatum, at last, went on to win gold with Team USA in the Paris Olympics. After back-to-back success on the national and international stage, Tatum has been vying to bring another trophy to Boston this season.
