LeBron James has faced many opponents over the course of his 16-year career, but the late 2000’s Celtics are one of King James’ staunchest rivals.
Having met multiple times in the postseason, the Celtics had an interesting dynamic with LeBron and it wasn’t one of love. In fact, according to former Celtic Ryan Hollins, his team didn’t have a very good view of James, and even considered him “soft.”
(via Scoop B Radio Podcast)
“That was our championship to walk away with, until then LeBron was seen as soft … We thought he wouldn’t show up in fourth quarters, we thought he wasn’t the real dude and when things got tight, he wouldn’t be able to go out and make plays. And if Paul Pierce could stay out of foul trouble, Paul was just as good at creating his own shot in clutch moments.”
Paul Piece and the Celtics saw LeBron James as 'soft' according to Ryan Hollinshttps://t.co/QzrzrW8lD8
— Heat Nation (@HeatNationCP) June 27, 2020
It’s no secret that Pierce and that Celtics squad had their issues with Bron. Not only was he someone who routinely got in the way, but he also built a superteam in Miami that they could never beat.
It’s also worth noting that back then, James didn’t have the same reputation he does now. He still had much to prove and often failed to deliver in big moments.
In the end, though, it’s fair to say that LeBron won the war against his rivals. The Celtics were only able to capture one title as LeBron went on to win three and cement his legacy as one of the All-Time greats.
“Soft” isn’t a word we typically use to describe him these days…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rN17J-KMWnY
