Paul Pierce was recently asked who would fare better between the two NBA veterans, LeBron James and Kevin Durant. The former Celtics All-Star said he’d pick the former, influenced by their extensive showdowns against each other back then.
Pierce, currently an analyst on the show UNDISPUTED, gave his insights regarding the comparison between James and Durant, the battle-hardened players of Team USA at the ongoing 2024 Paris Olympics. The 46-year-old chose Lebron, recognizing his proven “clutch genes.”
“If my life is on the line and I need this player to come up pretty spectacular, I gotta go with LeBron on that one,” Pierce said. “I’ve seen it firsthand. I’ve seen some games that I will never forget, that I probably still have nightmares about.”
.@PaulPierce34 would pick LeBron over KD to start a team in winner-take-all game 👀
“I’ve seen Bron do things that give me nightmares.” pic.twitter.com/wLmSsLqysx
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) July 29, 2024
Paul, who was once in Boston, faced LeBron James of both the Heat and Cavaliers multiple times in the playoffs. For the 2008 NBA Champion, he’ll never forget the games in which the current Lakers power forwards managed to carry their teams to the end. The two faced 69 times throughout their careers, with James having more wins than Pierce.
The former Kansas Jayhawk also mentioned Lebron’s miraculous performance during the 2006 Eastern Conference Finals against the Detroit Pistons. The King scored Cleveland’s final 25 points, eventually carrying the team into the NBA Finals.
The 10x NBA All-Star also included that James is known for clutching games and literal playoff runs. Pierce refers to this as when LeBron gave the Cleveland Cavaliers a championship in 2016, even after a 1-3 standing.
Pierce also commended Durant’s “clutch genes,” but he could not carry his team to the NBA Finals that same year. KD’s Oklahoma Thunder were up 3-1 against the Golden State Warriors during the Western Conference Finals, but they never managed to secure a win after that.
Lebron James and Kevin Durant’s veteran experiences at the 2024 Paris Olympics
Despite Lebron’s ability to carry a match, Pierce awarded Kevin Durant the award for making a game-winning shot. Nevertheless, comparing the two players is not worth the question since both are making extensive contributions to Team USA in the current Olympics.
Recently, Kevin and Lebron scored 44 points combined, most of which were almost perfect shooting. Thanks to these two veterans, Team USA destroyed Serbia in their first Olympic campaign, 110-84. Durant and James gave their team a significant starting boost as they continued in their next games against Puerto Rico and South Sudan.
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