Paul Pierce has reignited his long-running rivalry with LeBron James, this time, by leaving the four-time NBA champion off his all-time ‘Game 7 Dream Team.’ During an appearance on the Get Got podcast with Marshawn Lynch and Mike Robinson, Pierce named the five players he’d trust most in a winner-takes-all Game 7.
His list? Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Allen Iverson, Shaquille O’Neal, and himself.
“Definitely Kobe. I mean, Mamba, damn, you know he was ruthless. Shaq, AI, and Jordan. Ain’t nobody beating that five. I got all killers.”
The name LeBron James never came up, and that’s no accident.
Pierce’s omission of LeBron continues a rivalry that dates back to their epic postseason clashes between the Boston Celtics and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the late 2000s. Though Pierce often got the upper hand early in their careers, LeBron’s dominance in later years,including the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals Game 6 in Boston, where he dropped 45 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 assists, lipped the narrative. Since then, the ‘Truth’ has never passed up a chance to remind fans that he and Kevin Garnett used to give LeBron all he could handle.
In fact, just last week, Pierce and Garnett threw fresh shade at LeBron on KG Certified, saying, “You have Luka and it still ain’t enough.”
That comment was directed at LeBron’s new Lakers teammate, who’s been carrying the team in the King’s absence. It’s clear Pierce hasn’t softened his stance one bit, even two decades removed from their prime battles.
But here’s the irony: when it comes to Game 7 performances, no one in NBA history matches LeBron James.
LeBron has played in nine career Game 7s, tied for the most by any active player, and he boasts a 6–3 record in those elimination showdowns. Across those games, he has averaged an astounding 34.9 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 5.6 assists on 52.8% shooting, the highest scoring average in Game 7 history among players with at least five appearances.
His best-known masterpiece came in the 2016 NBA Finals, when he led the Cleveland Cavaliers to a historic comeback from 3–1 down to defeat the 73-win Golden State Warriors. In Game 7, LeBron delivered 27 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists, capped by ‘The Block,’ a chase-down rejection on Andre Iguodala that sealed Cleveland’s first-ever championship.
Even before the 2016 Finals run, LeBron James had already built one of the most impressive Game 7 resumes in NBA history.
One of his most famous postseason performances came in Game 6 of the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics, a night that felt like a Game 7 in every sense. With Miami’s season on the line and elimination looming, LeBron erupted for 45 points and 15 rebounds, silencing a hostile Boston crowd and forcing a decisive Game 7. The Heat went on to win that series and eventually claim LeBron’s first championship.
The following year, LeBron once again rose to the occasion when everything was at stake. In Game 7 of the 2013 NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs, he delivered 37 points and 12 rebounds, sealing back-to-back titles for the Miami Heat. It was a performance defined by poise and precision, the kind that cements a player’s legacy in championship lore.
Then came Game 7 of the 2018 Eastern Conference Finals, another classic that highlighted LeBron’s unmatched ability to carry a team. Facing a young, hungry Boston Celtics squad and playing without a healthy co-star, LeBron put up 35 points, 15 rebounds, and 9 assists to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers back to the NBA Finals.
That win, which came in the very building where Paul Pierce once ruled, felt poetic, LeBron dismantling the franchise that had long defined his early struggles.
Across each of these do-or-die moments, LeBron showcased not only elite production but also supreme mental toughness. His Game 7 performances aren’t just statistical marvels, they’re defining moments that have shaped two decades of NBA history.
So while Pierce’s ‘all killers’ lineup is packed with legends, his LeBron omission feels less like basketball logic and more like personal pride. Even Pierce’s biggest supporters would admit that leaving out the greatest Game 7 player of all time undermines the credibility of his list.
But maybe that’s the point. Pierce has never hidden his disdain for LeBron’s superstardom — and after all these years, he still plays the rival perfectly.
One thing’s certain: if the game were really on the line in a do-or-die Game 7, most of the basketball world knows exactly who they’d pick. And it’s not The Truth. It’s The King.
