Paul Pierce’s rankings of the best players in the Boston Celtics-Toronto Raptors series was a bit biased, but points towards the C’s having superior superstars.
When you ask a Boston Celtics legend what he feels about a series involving very the team he made his name on, there may be a bit of bias at work. Paul Pierce put that thinking to the test when he revealed his rankings for the top players in the Celtics-Raptors Eastern Conference semifinals series, which Boston took the first game of yesterday:
On ESPN, Paul Pierce just ranked the best players in the Celtics-Raptors series:
— Boston.com Celtics News (@BDCCeltics) August 30, 2020
1. Jayson Tatum
2. Jaylen Brown
3. Pascal Siakam
4. Kemba Walker
While his comments came before Game 1, they were only backed up by the dominant display by the Celtics in a game Toronto never seemed to stand much of a chance in. Jayson Tatum led the way with 21 points, while Jaylen Brown and Kemba Walker had 17 and 18 points, respectively, and Pascal Siakam dropped just 13 points while mostly being shut down by Tatum and Semi Ojeleye.
Keep in mind, Pierce is no stranger to the Raptors himself. While this is the first time Toronto has faced the Boston Celtics in the postseason, Pierce was a member of the Brooklyn Nets when they upset the #3 seeded Raps in the 2014 postseason. “The Truth” hit the game-winning shot in Game 7 of that series, sending the Raptors home in the first year of five consecutive early playoff exits before winning their first championship last season.
Siakam and Walker were All-Star starters, but Pierce believes in the late-season development of Tatum and Brown. Most notably, he excludes Kyle Lowry from his rankings, finding his resume less impressive than Walker’s current fit with the C’s.
What do you think? Was Pierce spot on or a bit off in his rankings?
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