Paul Pierce Lists Hatred for 3 NBA Franchises; Unfolds Wounds From the Past

One can only expect The Truth to openly talk about hating NBA franchises and relishing in the hate that he receives from the fans of these franchises. The Kaseya Center still collectively loathes Paul Pierce. With the NBA Playoff season going on, this 2008 NBA Finals MVP leaves no opportunity to poke the fans. He recently retweeted the epic shot from 21 years ago he executed against AI Harrington from the Miami Heat.

As you may have figured out by now, his hatred for the Miami Heat is strong. The other two franchises listed by him are the New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Lakers. Recently, during a conversation when Dan asked Pierce about the strongest sports hatred he holds, Pierce was quick to answer. On LeBatardShow, Pierce said, “It’s [Miami] up there with New York too. It’s up Miami, New York, uh, Lakers.”

Not just one but Paul Pierce may have more than one reason for having the passionate dislike that he has for Miami. The Boston Celtics back in the day carried quite a reputation. They would engage in all sorts of rough play and trash-talk. Via such actions, they accumulated their fair share of enemies.

The Celtics have enjoyed the status of being the NBA’s most successful franchise for a long time. But, they were soon fighting head-to-head with the Miami Heat. Both the teams had the presence of star players that added to the rivalry. On the Celtics side, they had Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce while on the Heat’s side, they had LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. Some of the most intense playoffs in their history happened in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2010 and 2012. In the 2010 finals, the Celtics managed to win by a mere two points while in the 2012 finals, the Heat clinched victory by 19 points. Out of the total 98 points scored, LeBron scored 45 points single-handedly. These playoffs resulted in dramatic moments, heated exchanges, and high stakes that fueled animosity between the teams and their fans.

However, beyond the on-court tensions, there exists a sore spot, a betrayal that left the Celtics stars nearly heartbroken.

Paul Pierce on betrayal from Ray Allen

The story goes back to 2012 when owing to a contractual issue with the Boston Celtics, Ray Allen started to look for a shift to other franchises. The problem wasn’t with the fact that Allen’s journey with the Celtics was coming to an end. His Celtics teammates were furious that he was joining forces with the “enemy” aka Miami Heat. This was one of the biggest reasons for the beef between Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen.

Paul Pierce also opened up about how Allen’s choice of the Miami Heat led to their strained relationship. The duo had been teammates for five seasons. Their relationship didn’t end on a good note. Hence, it was only natural that now whenever the Celtics and the Heat met on the court, the atmosphere would be that of paramount tension. As per the Score, Pierce confessed, “That’s almost like your girl going to your best friend, you know what I’m saying? That ain’t cool, that wasn’t cool…At least give me a proper break-off … it did feel like a betrayal, and so that’s why, for a lot of years, we didn’t talk to Ray, or we didn’t address him.”

For Ray Allen, though, his move to the Miami Heat happened to be a great decision. He even played a crucial role in winning the 2013 championship for the Heat.

Whether it is losing the game to the Miami Heat or a teammate, it is safe to say that the hatred that Paul Pierce carries for the Miami Heat might not go away for a long time. What do you think? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.