National Basketball Association

Paul Pierce feels ‘truly responsible’ for taking LeBron James to 'next level'

Published Jul. 12, 2024 3:43 p.m. ET

LeBron James usually runs into familiar foes in the playoffs, with Boston being one of them, and a former Celtics star recently revealed that he believes he played a crucial role in James' superstardom.

"I truly feel responsible for helping take LeBron to that next level," Paul Pierce said on Friday's edition of "Undisputed."

"When he went to Miami, Game 6 in Boston (in the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals) where 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. We were up 3-2 at home. We could go to the Finals, and that's when it took him to the next level."

James and the Heat beat the Celtics in five games in the 2011 Eastern Conference semifinals, but then lost to the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals. The ensuing season, Miami and Boston met in the Eastern Conference Finals, with Miami taking a 2-0 lead and then losing three straight games, putting it on the brink of elimination.

James then dropped 45 points in Game 6 in Boston to help Miami force a Game 7, which it went on to win, followed by winning the NBA Finals. The Heat then repeated as NBA champions in 2013. Two seasons into his second stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers (2015-16), James won another championship and did so again in his first season with the Los Angeles Lakers (2019-20), giving him four.

James' and Pierce's teams faced off five times in the playoffs, with James' teams going a combined 3-2 in those head-to-head matchups.

Regarding other teams James has faced in the playoffs, his teams are a combined 2-3 against the Golden State Warriors (1-3 in the NBA Finals) and 1-2 against the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals. As for conference rounds, James' teams are a combined 4-0 against the Chicago Bulls, 3-0 against the Indiana Pacers, 2-1 against the Detroit Pistons and 1-2 against the Denver Nuggets.

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Pierce, the 2007-08 NBA Finals MVP, a four-time All-NBA honoree and a 10-time NBA All-Star, was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021. He spent the first 15 seasons of his career with the Celtics, before one-year stints with the Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizards and two seasons with the LA Clippers. He has one NBA championship title.

Entering a record-tying 22nd season in the NBA, James is a four-time NBA MVP and NBA Finals MVP, and he has been an All-NBA honoree in every season but his 2003-04 rookie campaign. James is part of USA Basketball's roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics, marking his fourth time playing for Team USA in the Olympics.

James recently made history when the Lakers selected his son, 19-year-old Bronny James, in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft, putting the team in position to have the first on-court father-son duo in league history.

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