The Heat vs. Celtics rivalry from the early 2010s had an impact on both franchises. Paul Pierce has indicated he doesn’t respect Haslem even after all these years. Haslem made his intentions of always hating Pierce and Kevin Garnett clear on his podcast, willing to fight the pair if he bumped into them at a grocery store.
“In my era, we used to hate the n****s we used to go against. The rivalries and all that sh*t. To this day, you know how I feel when we play the Celtics, I can’t stand the motherf***ers. I like Tatum and Brown, but the old motherf***ers like KG and Paul, f**k y’all. The young generation, y’all can create your own beef or whatever. Them old motherf****ers no, I see y’all in the grocery store, it’s on. I don’t care what aisle it is, it could be 7/11 near the motherf***ing cheese dip. All that sh*t get flipped over.”
Udonis Haslem says he doesn’t f*ck with Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett
“I see y’all in the grocery store it’s on.”
(🎥 @theOGsShow / https://t.co/J0RgDtrj2E) pic.twitter.com/TFXGqH6NUV
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) January 21, 2024
This amount of dislike is honestly incredible, given the rivalry is over a decade in the rear-view mirror. Pierce and Garnett have even started praising LeBron James‘ game nowadays after spending years trying to beat and discredit his achievements. Time heals all wounds, but that won’t be easy with Haslem.
The hate for Boston for those Heat rosters was extremely justified, especially for LeBron, who kept losing to them when he was in Cleveland. The Heatles era of basketball saw Miami remain undefeated in playoff series against the Pierce and Garnett-led Celtics, eliminating them in 2011 and 2012.
Paul Pierce Implied Haslem Didn’t Deserve Getting His Jersey Retired
Udonis Haslem was honored by the Miami Heat for his 20 years of service with a jersey retirement last week, an honor reserved for ultimate club legends. Haslem may not have been a star player but he is one of the most respected veterans the league has had in years.
His jersey retirement brought out some haters who believe he didn’t deserve the honor. One of these haters was former rival and Celtics legend Paul Pierce, who left his thoughts on an Instagram comment.
“This one given bro, just saying.”
Many people have come out with the criticism that Haslem didn’t earn his jersey retirement like stars around the league before him. Pierce, whose number hangs in the rafters of the Celtics’ TD Garden is also part of that group doubting Haslem’s achievements.
UD is integral to Heat culture because he rose from nothing to becoming a rotational player for the team. He held the locker room together and won three titles in the process. He even took a massive pay cut to remain with the squad when LeBron James and Chris Bosh joined. The pay cut earned him everyone’s respect in Miami, as Haslem would have the autonomy to criticize the stars of the team and make sure the team stayed on the right track.
He provided that role as the 15th man on the roster till last season. If Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra believe Haslem deserved it, nobody should care what Pierce has to say.
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