Udonis Haslem certainly doesn’t like the Boston Celtics. He made that perfectly clear during a January appearance on “The OGs” podcast when he ripped Celtics legend Bill Russell and then said he’d still love to fight Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, members of Boston’s last championship team in 2008.
Haslem said he if saw Pierce or Garnett in a grocery store, “it’s on.” Pierce recently responded Haslem’s comments, putting very little stock into what the former Miami Heat power forward had to say.
Paul Pierce Doesn’t Remember Hearing From Udonis Haslem
Pierce and Haslem are on far different levels when it comes to basketball. Pierce is a 10-time NBA All-Star who was named All-NBA in four seasons. He averaged 19.7 points in his 19-yar NBA career.
Haslem played 20 seasons in the league, with the word “played” being used loosely. In his last seven seasons, he appeared in a total of 65 games. He was a solid role player during his career.
Still, he was part of the Celtics/Heat rivalry that continues today. Haslem clearly carries his hatred for the Celtics with him to this day.
“To this day, you know how I feel when we play the Celtics,” Haslem said on “The OGs” podcast. “I can’t stand the motherf***ers. I like (Jayson) Tatum and (Jaylen) 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 s*** get flipped over. They understand that. I told them that. ”
During a recent appearance on “The Dan LeBatard Show,” Pierce said Haslem never told him anything.
“First of all, I’m trying to remember when he told me that,” Pierce said. “I never remember hearing that. Second of all, when we played Miami and Udonis Haslem was out there, I don’t remember no hard screens, no hard fouls.
“It is what it is. I’d rather do it in a telephone booth, but if you need more room in the grocery store, that’s cool, too.”
From Pierce’s Perspective, It Was All About Basketball
Pierce admitted he didn’t like the Heat either, but he also said it wasn’t personal. He said his hatred for the Heat never left the court.
“I’m a grown man,” he said. “I ain’t dodging nothing. People are going to say what they want to say. Let it be what it is, but I’m gonna be ready for it.
“It was all about basketball. Every year when we went to the All-Star Game, when we see them, there was a little tension, but there was respect. It wasn’t like nobody wanted to fight. We showed that grit on the court, and that was our identity as a Celtic.
“When we’re on the court, I don’t like you and you don’t like me. I ain’t picking you up when you fall to the ground. I don’t really want to shake your hand. That’s what the rivalry really was. To hate somebody in real life? I hated them as a team. I hated that they formed a team just for us.”
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