Paul Pierce appeared on the latest episode of the Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz where he claimed that he broke LeBron James’ will during his first stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers. When discussing how his 2008 Boston Celtics team would have broken the current one mentally, Pierce stated he has broken some wills in the past.
“I’ve known to break a few wills, you know, sent some of them from Cleveland to Miami,” Pierce said.
Pierce was, of course, referring to the fact that James left the Cavaliers for the Miami Heat in 2010 after getting beaten by his Celtics in six games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. It was the second time in three years that the Celtics had eliminated him from the playoffs.
While I don’t necessarily believe that the Celtics broke James’ will, Pierce isn’t the only member of that team to think that was what happened. Kevin Garnett also stated during an appearance on The Bill Simmons Podcast in 2019, that the Celtics broke him.
“We broke LeBron… so get your a** out of here with that,” Garnett said. “You understand how he got to Cleveland. How he got to Miami, Bill? You remember that? … The C’s, We didn’t give a f*ck about LeBron. We didn’t fear LeBron and we didn’t think he can beat all five of us.”
Garnett sort of made my point there. The Celtics were a superteam with him, Pierce, Ray Allen, and Rajon Rondo. James didn’t stand a chance against them by himself and that would have been the case for every other superstar in NBA history as well.
The talent disparity between the Celtics and the Cavaliers was too huge and James had to go elsewhere to get some more firepower on his side. The Heat were that team, as he joined forces with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.
The new Heat Big 3 proved to be too much to handle for the Celtics. The teams met in the 2011 and 2012 playoffs, with Miami winning those series in five and seven games respectively. The tide had well and truly turned and I’d argue James broke Pierce and Garnett’s will by the end of it all.
Paul Pierce Thinks He Took LeBron James’ Game To Another Level
While Pierce thinks he broke James, he also believes he made him the great player he is today. During an episode of Undisputed, Pierce stated he feels responsible for taking LeBron’s game to the next level.
“I truly feel responsible for taking LeBron to that next level,” said Pierce. “Because when he went to Miami, in Game 6 when we had them on the ropes to go back to the Finals, I think that was the game that took LeBron to the next level… I was a little older so I guarded him some and Brandon Bass guarded him I think Game 6, his first year in Miami. We were up 3-2 at home and we’re about to go to the Finals and that’s what took him to the next level.”
I think that Game 6 against the Celtics in the Conference Semifinals in 2012 was somewhat of a turning point in James’ career. It looked like he was going to have another playoff flameout heading into that game, but he instead dominated, with 45 points, 15 rebounds, and five assists. James never really looked back after that and now has four championships to his name.
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