In a first person narrative from the Derek Jeter created “The Sports Tribune“, in which athletes write their own stories, Paul Pierce took a moment to list his top 5 hardest players he’s ever guarded.
EVER. The top 5 players he’s ever guarded, that’s something coming from a guy who has been in the NBA since 1998 and is still going strong defending some of the best players in the planet now.
The list by Pierce, assuming it goes 5-1, starts off with Pierce listing Kobe Bryant first, then Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter, Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James. All these guys in the last 15-20 years have been tough matchups and have also been some of the best players in the world.
There is one guy though that gave Pierce the toughest match up and that is New York Knicks star, Carmelo Anthony.
Here is some of the list by Paul Pierce from “The Players Tribune”:
Pierce on Kobe Bryant:
Kobe has the mentality of a basketball serial killer. He’s going to come at you every single way possible and he’s not going to let up. His mentality — his killer instinct — is what separates him from the other guys on this list, because once Kobe knows he has you, he’s going to keep attacking you. He’ll throw you down, beat you up and even when you’re knocked out, he’ll keep hitting you.
Kobe wants to destroy his opponent every night, and his desire to do so is second only to Jordan. I never had to play against Michael when he was with the Bulls, so Kobe is the closest I’ve come to facing that type of determination in my career.
Pierce on Tracy McGrady:
Attempting to stop him always came down to how could you bother him. With some guys you can bother their shot by playing them really tight. But every time Tracy elevated to shoot, he got so high up that you were pretty much at his will. With those type of guys, you really just have to hope they miss.
Since there was no way to stop Tracy’s shot, you just had to do everything you could to make sure he didn’t get in a position to shoot. So I would always do my best to deny Tracy the ball and be physical with him. I always knew that I couldn’t allow easy points in transition against him because then he might heat up. And if a guy with an unblockable shot heats up, well, that’s not good. But limiting transition points against a guy with the physical talent of Tracy was just a nightmare. He was such a tremendous finisher. He’s fast, he’s long and he could jump higher than anybody. And if that wasn’t enough, he was one of the better ball handlers in the league.
Pierce on Vince Carter:
This term gets thrown out a lot to describe NBA players, but with Vince it absolutely fits: This guy is just an athletic freak. In the late ’90s and early 2000s we had some serious battles.
Nobody wants to be on a Vince Carter highlight. In his prime, you knew he was going to get four or five highlights every game. And I’d always be thinking about that before we played against him. My mission would always be not to make the Vince Carter highlight reel, so before the game even started, he was already in my head.
From a defensive standpoint, he put you in such a tight spot. He’s hell to guard out on the perimeter because of the elevation on his shot. But you were so afraid of him blowing by you and throwing down a dunk that would be all over SportsCenter that you would allow him space to shoot. Then he would get hot from three-point range and at that point … what do you do?
Pierce on LeBron James:
A 6-8, roughly 260 lb point guard/shooting guard.
How ridiculous is that?
And at his size, he’s still hands down the most athletic and fastest player in the league. Who ever heard of a guy that’s 6-8, 260 lbs being faster than everybody else in the NBA — and stronger?
Like a lot of top players, you just have to hope LeBron isn’t feeling it the night you face him. 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. And he’s also one of the best finishers with his left and right hand that this league has ever seen.
Pierce on Carmelo Anthony:
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. That’s what sets him apart — every facet of his game is elite.
Some great players will have one or two particular skills that make them special. But Carmelo can do everything, which puts you in a baaad situation as a defender. A lot of guys might shoot better from certain areas, so you try to force them elsewhere on the floor. Carmelo doesn’t have a spot on the floor where he can’t consistently hit shots.
In my opinion, his combination of physicality and shooting touch is unmatched in the NBA. You can’t take one second off when you’re matched up against him.
Good stuff from Pierce and “The Players Tribune“.
