Paul Pierce is in his 17th season in the NBA. Pierce has played in 1,210 regular season games, 148 playoff games and 10 All-Star games. He’s gone up against the league’s biggest names time and time again over the years. So when Pierce talks about who the hardest player to guard is, his opinion is definitely one worth listening to.
Pierce recently published an article on ThePlayersTribune.com. It’s a website created by former New York Yankee Derek Jeter, which, according to its home page, “aims to provide unique insight into the daily sports conversation and to publish first-person stories directly from athletes.”
The title of Pierce’s piece is “The Five Toughest Players I’ve Ever Guarded.” In it he discusses the five opponents he’s had the most difficulty covering over the course of his career. While Pierce doesn’t rank them numerically, he presents the players from beginning to end in the following order: Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony.
One might expect James to be No. 1 on the list, but Pierce makes a point in saying he believes Anthony, not James, is the toughest player in the NBA to defend:
"If I had to single one guy out who is the most difficult player to guard in the league, it would have to be Carmelo. He’s a unique blend of being big, strong, and athletic while also having a world-class shooting touch and a natural ability to get to the rim. … LeBron is a great post-up player, but if you get him to settle for the jumper on some nights, you might be able to slow him down if his shot is off. That’s not the case with Melo."
Pierce is also somewhat less than complimentary in his explanation of why James is so hard to cover:
"Once he takes his first step off the dribble, if he gets to the side of you, there’s no staying in front of him. He’s just too strong when he gets his shoulder into your chest. … His style of play just wears you out over the course of a game. … You can bet that after you guard LeBron, you’re going to be sore all over for the next few days."
The picture used of Pierce guarding James makes him look more like an NFL running back than an NBA small forward. James is cradling the basketball to his chest as if it were a football in his left arm, while reaching out to give Pierce a stiff arm with his right.
This is the LeBron picture on Paul Pierce's "toughest players I ever guarded" feature. Wut is dribble? pic.twitter.com/GGnQgIrw9T
— Evans Clinchy (@evansclinchy) January 5, 2015
Pierce has never been James’ biggest fan, something he’s had no problem mentioning in the past. So the question is, does Pierce really believe Anthony is more difficult to defend than James, or was this just a chance for an easy dig at his biggest rival?
The numbers don’t support Pierce’s argument. Granted it’s an inexact science, but here are each players’ career stats in their head-to-head matchups with Pierce:
Regular Season:
| Player | W | L | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | FT | FTA | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carmelo Anthony | 11 | 14 | 36.9 | 8.4 | 20.0 | .421 | 1.1 | 3.8 | .298 | 6.9 | 8.6 | .805 | 7.0 | 3.8 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 3.0 | 24.9 |
| Player | W | L | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | FT | FTA | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LeBron James | 16 | 20 | 41.2 | 10.3 | 21.1 | .486 | 1.5 | 4.8 | .312 | 7.9 | 10.4 | .753 | 6.8 | 6.4 | 2.0 | 1.1 | 3.3 | 29.9 |
Playoffs:
| Player | W | L | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | FT | FTA | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carmelo Anthony | 4 | 6 | 40.3 | 9.4 | 24.8 | .379 | 1.8 | 6.0 | .300 | 7.3 | 8.3 | .880 | 7.3 | 3.0 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 2.9 | 27.9 |
| Player | W | L | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | FT | FTA | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LeBron James | 17 | 13 | 43.4 | 9.8 | 20.9 | .467 | 1.4 | 4.7 | .307 | 8.1 | 11.2 | .726 | 8.4 | 5.3 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 3.9 | 29.1 |
The verdict? Pierce is trolling LeBron for sure.
Pierce and James have two more regular season meetings this year, as well as a likely playoff matchup looming. It might have been in Pierce’s better interests not to poke the bear.