S1E6: Paul Pierce

going all Celtics. Is an absolute Celtics legend. He's here with and Shaan Granty and myself and he's a two thousand eight champion. He's a finals m v P. His number thirty four is hanging up in the raftors. He's the truth. He's a captain. Paul Pierce, p walking to the pot. Man Perk's ready to real you. I'm telling you, how's it going without Big Perk? True? What's happening? It's

crazy because I'm actually coming out. I'm actually doing the book right now, right yeah, and there breaking news right now in the book. I'm doing a book and it's to the point where we was talking about my early days with the Celtics, and that was crazy Pe because it brought back so many memories of Seriously, it brought back so many memories of I just remember you. Like I said, man, he took me under this wing as

a youngster. Like we had. We had three it was three of us that was rookies, and for some reason he adapted to me. And I was just telling them my book like it was sometimes. Bro, you just would invite me to your crib and men, you would literally just sit up there and watch three or four games and just talking about what was going around the league and I had and all of it started coming back

as I'm telling you know the stories. I'm like, man, men, and he used to play head up on bones every day like it was, and I was like, I couldn't wait a Mark. I used to be looking forward to be hitting me on my texts and big fellow, come on through because you know, I got tired of being in that town house. Got there sixty men, h man, Look that Domino Dominos brought us together. Yeah, what made you gravitate towards Perk? I mean we all know why, but back in the day, what made you bring bring

him in? Well you know what it's like, Uh, you know, you you feel out certain people when you're around them, and it's it's it's something you really can't even explain. It's just you knew what type of guy, what type of player, you know, what type of mentality he had, and you know it was similar to mine, and so you gravitate towards that, and you know that's why we

work so well, guys like him, Tony Allen. I mean, that team was so we gravitated so well with each other, just ment on a mental aspect, and that's what just drew us all together to be so close. You know, even though we was on some losing teams, we're a close knit team more. I mean, I got three three incidents that p I think that really woke Pe up

for use with me. Right. So we used to have to report right before Labor Day and I come in the gym as a rookie and I'm just throwing elbows and toning but Ti and Paul like, damn, I remember that. He's like, Okay, You'm felling. I'm felling in here, getting physical. So then you go to my our first preseason game, my first preseason game, we played the Detroit Pistons in Detroit, and I get an offensive rebound and I just go

up and dunk you with two hands and yell. And I remember coming to the bench and he was like, damn, you gonna just go up over d C and Ben Wallace like that, And I was you remember, I remember like it was yesterday and then and look, this was the last test. He always used to like with the young guys, he wants to see you maybe cahoo, but I want to see what got hard I want to see who dedicated. He used to tell us that all the time. So one day I go in the locker

room and pee, I'm in my type. He like, who, I want to see which one of y'all got harder? With you? One of y'all? Humble, like, what's happening? He thought? Fifteen hundred dollars on the ground. He like, big perp, what's up? It's like a little snow tooth of snow right through outside. You wanna go outside and give me a hundred of push ups right now in the snow with your tights. I said, who, I said, bet that when did it? And then he was like, I'm rocking

with you youngs. I didn't think he would do that real. Ya was like, that waszy it was freezing. He went out there and I was like, oh, the big fell he he that's the type of guy you want to go to world with. You know. It's like going to boot camp. You know, everything not easy. You gotta put them through some stuff before you know action, you know. So that was like my way and to see him, you know, let me see where these kids mentality is. You know, put him through a little boot camp. So

who put you through the boot camp? You were a rug, ye, man, I didn't really have no boot camp. I came in kicking doors down. My team different, you understand, Like Antoine was our vet. You had Ron Mercer who was in the second year. But you got understand, we all the same age, you know, even though they came out before me. The only one that was the older, older vet was probably Kenny Anderson. And uh you know Kenny probably you

know the most he made me do. I have to go get the doughnuts and I had to get this coffee and stuff warm up and I was easy stuff for me. But you know, I think, uh, you know, being it was such a young team that I really didn't have that type of vet that that was just like all right, young fellow. You know, I had to show myself the ropes on the most part. But you

you said you kicked the doors down. And you know that's a perfect segue into this because it's Hall of Fame week and obviously about a month ago you just found out that your Hall of Fame finalists for for the next class going in in absolutely yeah. So first and foremost, congratulations, Well deserved an unbelievable career that you put together here in Boston, and then even even after that,

you continue to play at a really high level. But I just want to ask you, what's the anxiety level of like you found out that you're a finalist, but now you gotta wait that there's like that interim period to actually get the final word of if it's happening or not. Uh, well that's coming this this uh this weekend, and so you know with the Hall of Fame class of with KG and Kobe and Tim Duncan coming up. Uh, I got some insider information I can't really say right now,

but the announcement official announcement will be come this Sunday. Okay, So before you got this inside information, what was the anxiety like at that point when you just didn't you didn't know necessarily what's gonna happen. Well, you still don't know, you know, you know, you just you just wait and see, and you know, just it's just a wait and see.

You know. Hopefully you know, convinced the people who makes that call enough throughout my career to where you know, I'm on there and hopefully uh inducted into the first Vallot Hall of Fame. You will be a p Look. I always tell people, in my opinion, your finals, and I'm not just saying this because you're my brother and

we rode together and we wanted together. I'm just saying for what you went through with this finals MVP run that you had, you went through a prime Joe Johnson, you went through a Lebron James Man, Detroit Pistons whose son, multiple bodies that you from, I'm a temptationationn Prince to Chauncey right going about. I mean they were they were the Pistons like you talking about, right, and you went through that, going through Kobe to win the NBA Finals. Like,

I think people don't even see the value. And I said this, I said it. See what y'all don't realize is yes, we had defenders, but when we started the game, he started off guard. Teach you never in one of them and his and his his motto was, you're gonna have to bust my head to the white meat. Right. Yeah, they got something my phone p but he got mold. But Pee, I want to ask you this because I never, out of all the conversations we had, I never asked

you this. When you got to the league. What was your moment where you was like, hey, man, I'm like that, I'm about to be one of these dudes in this league for the for the for the rest of my career. Like, what was that moment where now he was like, yeah, I'm here, man. I think I really came off running because I remember, you know, my first game was against Vince Carter. You know that's like we was like rookie rivals.

He got picked before me with the same class, We're the same position, and you know he uh, he had a good game out of a good game. But that game where I was like, I'm gonna tell you this, it was against Penny Hardaway and I was Garden and this is when he was in Orlando, and I don't know if he was hurt or not, but I know I held him to zero points per and I was like, because you got understand me. It's how I looked up the penny. I wore his shoes all through college. Penny

shoes is coming like he was my guy. And I was like, I'm guarden Penny tonight, you know. And I know he was hurt. I don't know, but I know I heard him to zero. I remember I ripped him and I was like, oh, I'm here. I am here, and I am here to stay. It was defense. It's a defense. But look, I'm gonna I'm gonna tell you this though. It was it was one dude who put me in my place that I never forget. Grant Hill, Oh my gosh, we're playing in a closed game. The

Pistons is uh, it's in the garden. I mean it's four minutes to go. It's like three minutes ago, two minutes ago. I'm telling you pers I sold me every single time down the court. And you know what he used and you know what he did. He did exactly what I used to tell Tony ally and practice every day. When I got the ball, I said, one of three things is gonna happen? Tony I mean, you're gonna found me or or uh, I'm gonna find somebody else for assist.

And he did that to me every single time that if he didn't score me, I found him or he got into the paint and dropped it off to somebody and they beat us. And it was just like a moment was like can I even play NBA defense out here? But then you have to look, this is grand Hill though. We're talking about one of the all times. You know, this is like Lebron before Lebron. But some people, like some of the younger generation, they don't know how good he was before he heard his ankle. In Orlando, he

was the next coming. He was on the point to like take over as post the boy over Jordan's uh perk. He was next. It was like Grant. It was like Jordan's and then Grant, what's next in line? So we're talking about Hall of Fame and you're you're gonna be in town, uh this this coming weekend to see KG going. I know you guys go way back, like way back

to the days in the auth circuit. What's it like to see someone who you grew up with, who you want to title with, who you were trying to get to play with each other for so damn long in the pros. Like, what's it like to see him finally have his moment. It's gonna be exciting, man. And uh, you know, I can't wait to hear his speech, you know, because you gotta understand when Kevin talks, it's just like

the room freezes. You don't understand his presence. But like if you ever watch his interviews or or in the room where he's like really you know, got some things to say, it's just like the room just terms cold and you just freeze, and you just kind of like you make an eye contact with him and you can't.

You you're hingeing on every word he says, because you know, he's goes something good and interesting and uh, you know for me to see how he's come from a skinny seven foot kid from South Carolina to Chicago to the NBA to now the Hall of Fame, which is uh the last chapter in this book. He's might he might have to write another book. I see that book you got behind, Yeah, I got it. I got a couple

of them, man, I can't stop reading that. You don't have to add another chapter to this book, man, I mean, because this is this is the final piece of the the pie right here, getting Duck into the Hall of Fame, because this is is over and we can forgets because uh, I think maybe next year. I think you noticed that his numbers going off up the garden. So man, be this year, but supposed to be this year. Make it happen.

But I have to rewrite that book, man. Add a couple of chapters, yeah, a couple of you know, he got a game plan. Oh man, you already you know he already foresee the future. Man. So yeah, definitely, I'm actually going over at his house after this. I think I'm a head over there, and you gotta tell good things. We gotta get him on here next. What's what's your

favorite story of your time with him in Boston? I know you've told I love listening to the story of Las Vegas when you guys went there and you darted out of the out of the cab and you didn't pay the cavvy and he was like, what the hell, what's going on? This is the city life. But what's your favorite story from Boston? Oh? Man, we got so many great stories, man, I mean, all right, how about this one. This is what I always tell in the game.

We're playing the San Antonio Spurs, right, and the whole scout report was like, all right, we need to snow. Genobley is just on on a tear coming into our buildings. So I got Jenoli that night, and so he's guarding Matt Bonner. I'm not sure if Duncan was playing that night. I'm not was dunking. He may have. Maybe Perk was guarding Duncan and Ticket had Matt Bonner. And so it is point being, I'm working my butt off, I'm shutting Genoble down. Next thing you know, Matt Bonner's going off.

He got thirty points to half, right, so I hold Genobolan about like six or seven point. He's on a tear. So now we're on the hallway, we're going into the locker room. I think we probably down like two or three. And we're walking down the hall about to walk in the locker room, and I'm like, damn, who the hell got Matt Barner? Were working my butt off, you know, working my butt off, Guardian NOVELI, And in my mind, you know, I'm just saying this sort the whole team

can here I'm I'm calling KG out. Who the hell got Matt Bonnor? He turned around and get my face, he said, I got Matt Barner. The reason he got twenty got there points because I was helping your so slow the novel. I love that it sounds like KG, no doubt New England native Matt Bonner, by the way, he's he's a native. Let me jump into the conversation here with something I've thought about for many, many years, and I think it takes a lot of years to

look back and have a different perspective on it. Danny's only regret of what I called the New Big Three era right those six years or how old you were, how old KG was and how old Ray was when it started, and we all in our mentality, our sports mentality, say, man, imagine if four or five years earlier, those guys have gotten together, KG was m v P. You guys were all the top of your game, and then that basketball logic says, you know what, they would have won multiple championships.

But younger players, it's not always that simple. What what in your mind now, with your your brain where you are now looking back, what would have happened if that group had been if you guys have been together four or five years earlier, I really believe we would have won, uh multiple titles. Because this is why I tell you, Sean, don't understand, Like, Okay, you know, when you first come in the league, you want to establish a name for yourself,

you want to establish a presence. I think at that if you look back for four or five years from there, I was in my fifth year, I think I was at that point where I established who I was in the league. You know, at that point, KG was in the m v P. At that point, you know, Ray may multiple All Stars like myself, we already signed big contracts, you know, so it was just like, you know, what, what do you want? After you established that part of your career, You're like, okay, what's next? You know, I

made a lot of money. Now I've made an All Star team. Now now I want to win. What else is there? I want to win now? And I truly believe, especially how selfless of a superstar KG is, there's no doubt in my mind, we would have want multiple titles. I mean, he's got to be one of the most selfless superstars, you know, a guy who could have demanded the ball every time down we would have gave it to all and he pretty much would have just been

the offense. But you know, he was so unselfish the way he passed the ball and brought guys together on the defensive end. I truly believe we would have won. You remember Doc used to have to stop practice when he wouldn't shoot. Yeah, I'm moving the ball, I'm moving to Yeah, we're moving it. We're moving it to you. Doc Beckham the twenty shots tonight and I was like, no, hear that from a coach telling you're superstar? Like that shows you how unselfish KG was. I don't know if

you remember this. Very early in that season, we were going to Orlando. We went to docks House in the afternoon and afterwards we're going back to the hotel and they had different vans. You and I were in the same van, and it was almost like you could barely contain your joy at the way the early season had gone, and you were just talking about the I would have

traded I'll trade the locker room. I was telling everybody, I'll trade this locker room to get KG here, And it was just that, it was so it was so joyful to be around you and to be around that group, because it was almost like I always I always say he plugged something in absolutely man. The crazy thing about it, Man, I was like, man, Wick, this is the piece right here. In two thousand six, I said, during a game, right I'll tell him that. I mean, we tell this story.

I looked right at with like we need to give him right here. I mean, I think everybody the whole front row heard me. KG said he didn't know what was going on, and he was like, is he talking to his owner and telling him to trade from it is in the middle of the They're all at the free throw line at this crazy story. Crazy story. I don't think, Paul, I don't think people realize that your relationship with KG didn't begin in two thousand seven. It didn't begin when you were in the NBA at All

Star weekends. That it literally goes back more than years. He stayed at my house in Inglewood, California. He had the duck in the in the doorways in my little house in the wood. He had to duck and uh yeah, I mean, man, I'm telling you we played that week a U ball, you know, and you go understand there was no Instagram, you know, no social media, weren't. We're

in high school. So I heard of Kevin Garden. I was like, because you know, as a kid, you want to move up in the ranking, so you're beating about players. You know, man, who is this guy at the tip Kevin Garnett? He simp fee with you know who is Stepfan mar Very and then to get a chance to like read about him and then actually see him. So just like when he walks into the gym, my first sight album was like, whoa, this is Kevin Garnett. I mean he was taller than life. I mean faster, faster

at a gazelle is intensity was through the roof. I just remember the first practice as kids, he was yelling out the gym and after that that's where we established our relationship. We played on the same AU team just for one week in a tournament to where my first This was my last tournament as an AU player for high school and I was going to be a senior.

This is the summer going to the senior This is my last year, the very last tournament of the biggest tournament of the summer, a tournament in which I took second place every year, every year we lost in the championship. We bring on KG. Were in the summer off on the championship, No Biggest them another summer and we just was in contact ever since then. That's where our bond for him. Tell me if you're with me on this. They just finished the Showtime putting together that Showtime documentary

right on KG. They've interviewed a lot of us over the last few months to get it ready. And we were both in Boston before you knew what Celtics fans were like, what Boston was like. And this is the analogy I came up with. I want to see if it passes your test. About fifteen years ago, about that time, the first viral video on YouTube, one of the first ones ever when we when it was in its infinite is when they tell I wish I could mark, I wish I could date myself. That's how much I'm a

fan of myself. If is when they took the candy, the Mentos candy right and they put it in the soda bottle, and I think we just explained that I I described as KG was the Mentos and Boston and the garden was the So this us like the second he got there this the buzz around him, man, I don't even know. I remember I was in May, you know, I found out that we were possibly getting a G I found out through Antoine Walker. I was in Los

Angeles and Antoine was at something. I think, I don't know if it was a ceremony for Gary Payton that KG was that they were at something Newport, and I was upset that I didn't even get the invite. I was like to sale, was there g p KG out in Newport? And I was in in Los Angeles and and Twine calls me said, Yo, I think y'all getting KG. I was like what? I was like really? And so you know, I'm on the phone with Danny every day, like, Hey, what's going on? Hey? Is it is? This? Is this

for real? And any made it happened? Man, because that's the summer. It could have went so many directions, you know, that shot it could have it could have won so many different directions. It was either like it was either like we're gonna build to win or I wasn't gonna be there. You know, I thought that I would get traded honestly that summer and for it can goo for it to go for me possibly getting traded that summer to add in me a kg and winning a championship.

That was that was the best summer of my whole career. We walked in you may not remember this because the day was a blur, but the press conference at the garden. We happened to get there at the same time, and we're kind of walking up the stairs. The stairs you always told me took years off your career walking up

to part the car. You have to walk up the stairs right, three or four fights to get to where the floor was in the garden, And it was almost as if we knew the world was changing, and we sort of caught eyes with each other, and you know, it's like that be all lean in. It was like it was a whole new world right now, and you're like, no, this for real. That's what it felt like, Is this really happening. It was like, you understand, we had the worst record in the league, and then all of a

sudden we get this type of firepower in. It was like, Wow, I couldn't believe it was for real. I mean, you gotta understand my workouts that summer, Like I worked hard in the summer, but like when that trade happened. I think I was doing three of days. I think I was waking up at five am, going from six to eight timber one and then like three to five, like take an hour break, eat and go work out again.

I was, I was getting prepared. It just motivates you that much more when you got those other guys around you coming in, right. I mean, as a competitor, that's all you ever wanted was a chance, was a chance, And that's all I ever say. I sit in the back with Johnny, Joe, John and Max, you know, I just wanted a chance, you know, and I felt like this was it. Hey man, you got the chance, you took it, you capitalized on and like Purchase said earlier, you had one of the craziest finals MVP runs we've

seen in recent memory. Just with the guys you were taking on mono. We mono every single round. It's one of the craziest runs we've seen recently. All right, everyone, we're gonna take a quick commercial break. We'll be right

back with more with Paul Pierce. I know I've been waiting forever to get back into TV Garden for a live Celtics game, and I know you've been feeling the same way, So why not make up for some lost time get in on all of the action for next season by signing up for the Celtics Season ticket Member Waitlist presented by American Express Listen. When you sign up, you'll get priority access to purchase season ticket memberships for

the two season once tickets become available. So after you're done listening here, head on over to Celtics dot com slash waitlist to sign up today and you'll be back inside the garden in no time, helping your boys grab a win. I want to talk to you about where this team is nowadays. You know, let's talk about Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, and I want to make a direct parallel with where they are right now to where you were when you were five years old. The average

twenty five a game. When you were twenty three, you're an All Star. When you were twenty four, UM, you got to the conference finals, UM in what was it, your fourth year UM in the league, So so that you kind of experienced what they are experiencing now of not being able to break through to the NBA finals

in these young years. But talk to me about what the challenges were when you're a young player still trying to figure it out, and some people out there might not understand, like there's gotta be some level of patients, Like there's not a lot of guys who are under twenty five years old leading teams to the NBA finals.

It never happens, right, Well, you know, these guys have finally established themselves, you know, within the year as NBA superstars individually, and you know that's you know, you want to come into the NBA and make a name for yourself. And I think over these last couple of years, you saw that with Jayson Tatum and jay Lyn Brown. Now the fine line is, you know, having an understanding how do I take my individual success and put that into the team's success now and make the team better to

where we take the next step. And that's what I had to learn. You know, at the end of the day. It wasn't all ways about having a huge scoring games, but how can I make my teammates blutter? But you know, they're in a position to where they've had earlier success than I had. You know, they're in the conference finals as what rookies yeah and so now and they weren't stars yet, but they had a collective unit that was

really good. Now they've established themselves at individual stars. And you know, when you get to this point, you're still so young, it could be frustrating, you know, because now you know, when you get when you become these stars, expectations follow. You know, now, Okay, I've made the All Star team. I've done this. Now Lebron is out of the Eastern Conference? Are the celt Is gonna take that leap?

And this just goes to show you how tough it is to win in the NBA Because you saw the Celtics a few years ago, you were like, this is the team of the future, this is the team that's gonna be running the Eastern Conference. But one player can change the team sportunes and we saw that, you know with Brooklyn. You know, we're seeing that with these other teams like the Clippers and and getting Kauai and then you know him ended up in Toronto and winning the

Chip and so nothing is ever guaranteed. And so yeah, they have time. Yeah they're young, uh, and so they'll have to figure it out. But they need more help, you know, you need to all stars. And they've established themselves as to all stars. But you know they need a little more depth if they want to take that next step. And pe I got I got one more

question for you, and it's about the team. Tell me how you feel about Rob Williams, right, Tom Lord, I honestly, my honest opinion, I think he could be the Celtics uh center for the future. Um. I think he could work on his body a little bit more. But I just want to hear it coming from your mouth, because you know, you and I be having these conversations all the time, Lives. I think he's a great fit for them.

You know, he's a guy who you know, he could really contribute without having the ball, and you got guys like Kimba and and Tatum. These guys gonna have the ball. These guys are office. He reminds me a lot of you perk. You know, he's in there doing the dirty work. He's young, you know, he's he's blocking shots. He can rebound at a high level, which he did in college. Way more athletic than me. He's super athletic. You know,

you're rising up for those dudes. Pete had to drop them off, you know, you know what I'm saying that, But he was He's a guy that I can see his mentality. He loves to do the dirty work, and you know he he understands what his role is for his team to be successful. He's just young, and you know, everybody can't be the star. He's gonna be a guy that's gonna do dirty work and he's gonna make a lot of money in this league, you know, being a

guy block shots, rebound, run the court, catch lives. I mean, look at Click Cappella, look look at where he is. He can be just like that guy and Click Conpeller right now could arguably arguably being all NBA players right now. And I agree, And so you know, he reminds me a lot of him in aspect, and I think he is the center of the future. So, Paul, when when you look back on that time of when you were young and you had to wait until you were like what thirty years old, right until KG and Ray came

to town. So I'm just curious, like when you look back at that time and you try to figure out what you could have done differently to maybe speed up the timeline of getting that other person to town or or helping your team get to the next level. What what are maybe some things that you would have done differently when you were back at their stage where they are.

You know, I'm not sure if there was much I could have did differently, because when I look at the whole dynamics of how it all went, because in the middle of me, you know, making my first All Star Game, getting to the Eastern Conference Finals, the organization how to change in direction. Uh. And so right after that, you gotta understand, we lost the coach, we lost a couple of coaches. Uh. New ownership ship group comes in, Uh, new GM Danny Ainge comes in and they decide, Okay,

where I think we're heading in the right direction. They're like, okay, well, we don't think this team long run can sustain this. You know, we're gonna rebuild. And I'm in the middle of really establishing myself as an NBA All Star, and so, uh, you know, my path was a little different. It was like I was getting there, I was going I was I was hit in the right direction, and then all of a sudden, it was everything was swept from up under me. Because we had an All Star at Antoine

Walker who was traded. Uh. You know, we had great role players Tony Batti, who are who were shipped off? And so it was like, wow, you know we're going into a rebuild and then and that and also I almost was traded with a lot of people don't know because and only my fourth year after signing my long

term deal. Do you know we drafted three players at my position, which I never understood that Kendrick Brown, Joe Forte, these guys are are perunter guys and Joe Johnson all that my position, Jason Tatum and Janlen Brown and the rest of this court. Hey, if you had one thing to tell them as they go into this kind of middle portion of their career, about to hit their prime in the next couple of years, what would you tell them? Wow, you know what, I would just say, you know, keep

working and stay you know, stay patient. You know they're they're far ahead of the game. I feel like, and I was at this stage. Uh, but they got time. You know, they got time. You've got two tremendously talented players who could play together for a long time. And uh, you know, right now they have to learn how to become leaders. I think the game is there now. They have to learn how to be a leader to this

ball club. You know, I'm not there on the everyday basis, so I don't know how they leave, but you know, sometimes it shows on the court, and so they have to continue and getting better and that aspect of their careers because when you have teammates that, like Perk said, he would have ran through the wall for me, you know, earn your teammates, you know, love your teammates. And I think the thing I had that was great for that work for me is I spent time with all my teammates.

You know, it didn't matter if you were the last guy on the bench or in the starting line up. I spent I got to know every single one of my teammates that came through there and uh and I invited them all out to dinner all the time. We all we always did things. And I think that goes a long way too. You know, how you develop success on the court is getting to learn your teammates off the court. Uh and and and it helps for them

gaining that respect. And I know they already have it because of the way they played, But just like it go to I saw, I took a whole other level. Uh when I started to spending more time with my teammates putting myself out there like that, like, man, come on, gay pruit, we're going to eat. You know it might be on my a rookie he like what you taking me? Like? Yeah, me and you man, come on. As a matter of fact, home, I need you to hold my jackie by the way

the whole night. We're gonna go eat. You know what I'm saying, But I need you to hold this. But we're going It's like it's like one of those things when your parents tell you, like you'll understand one day, right, but but they just might not get it yet. But when they get to your age, they'll be able to look back and say, now I know what he was talking about. Mark, Mark, don't forget for a second. First of all, like as important as and Bootoo was, let

me tell you something. Paul used it all the time. If he wanted like a soda or something like that, he'd be like some bookie didn't want to get up to Hey, I'm bootoo dog. Come on, you gotta you know, man, you know you got that extra strip over there. Doesn't two thousand six have to happen for you. The season you had as the best player on the team that was younger that didn't make the playoffs. Wasn't that a very important part of making you the player you were

in the second half of your career. Oh yeah, absolutely, man, And uh man, a lot of moving parts happened. It was just like, when I look at that how it all happened. I got hurt, and I've never been hurt in my career. In two thousand and six, you know, I have a stress fracture in my foot that I played on for like three games before I realized it was it was cracked. And we go on this eighteen game losing streak. Man, do you guys know, I don't

know if you guys know how frustrated I was. They're going to the game's night in and night out, like, Wow, we're farther away than I thought. You know, we were a team that had a lot of young guys that can maybe push for eight slot, maybe to a team that like, man, we're farther away than I thought to where I want to be at this point in my career.

And uh man, you guys don't know. It was a lot of secret meetings going on with me, Danny Wigs, Steve Sully up in those offices and trying to determine, like what's direction are we all trying to go in? And in the end the right direction it worked itself out. I mean, dude, we have to we have the best odds to get the number one pick, and we get the fifth pick. I was like, what else that can happen? I mean, we have the worst record, we get the

fifth pick. The basketball guys wearing on our side initially, but that fifth pick turned in the ray Aalen, Yeah, you know, Allen turned into KG. I mean it could have won so many different ways because if say we do get the number one pick, say we get Kevin Durant, I mean, oh man, it could have winn so so many variables. It's just so much the domino effect, you guys understand. I think about it all the time. That's a perfect wrap up. You you talked with with Perk

about dominoes earlier in the call. Now we're talking about dominoes at the end. I love it. No, Paul Pierce Man, congrats on the Hall of Fame nomination. Hopefully you're gonna hear that good news sometime soon. It sounds like you may have heard a little. But I also want to give a shout out to KG, my boy man. I'm excited for him going to Hall of Fame. I'm gonna

be right there. I'm flying in the Boston uh Friday and so uh you know, we're gonna head out to the mohegan Son hang Out, have some grub and you know, I can't wait to be there to support my brother. I love it, enjoy it. Maybe maybe one day, Maybe one day will tell the story of Antoine's night at Mohican Sun after that preseason game. Oh, I got a lot of stories there. We go that that's behind the scenes with the Boston Soltis. We'll get into that in

the future episode, no doubt. Paul Pierce Man, thanks for the time enjoyed this weekend. I'm sure it's gonna be a lot of fun. Definitely, Mark Sho speaking with yall.