Back in 2008, an epic rivalry was renewed between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics. Both storied NBA franchises had rebuilt their teams into championship contenders at the same time for the first time since the Magic-Bird era.
Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol led the way for the Lakers while Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, and Ray Allen had the Celtics crushing the competition in the Eastern Conference. As a result, these two historic franchises treated their fans to two incredible NBA Finals series that were split down the middle. Pierce and company struck the first blow in 2008, and Bryant finished off the Celtics in 2010 with what he refers as his favorite championship of the five he’s won.
Fast forward five years later, Bryant and Pierce are battling Father Time in what will likely be the last season for both players. Kobe has already announced his retirement plans while Pierce seems to be coming to grips with his basketball mortality.
Pierce, now sharing the same building as Bryant as one of the Los Angeles Clippers, was asked about Kobe’s last season. The one-time NBA champion responded by saying the following via Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times:
Paul Pierce on Kobe: "It’s always a sad day when you see one of the great players walk away from the game, but everybody has their time."
— Ben Bolch (@latbbolch) December 10, 2015
The 38-year-old hasn’t decided whether he’ll retire after the 2015-16 NBA campaign with the Clippers. Although Pierce remains undecided about his future, it is easy to see which way he’s leaning, via Bolch:
Paul Pierce: "The older you get and the less you’re able to do things you could do before, you start thinking about maybe it’s that time."
— Ben Bolch (@latbbolch) December 10, 2015
Pierce, much like Bryant, has struggled this season. The veteran forward is averaging career-low numbers across the board with his new team. Pierce went from averaging 11.9 points per game last season for the Washington Wizards in a much bigger role to only 4.1 as a backup that plays 17.6 minutes per contest while shooting an ugly 29.7 percent from the floor for the Clippers.
Although Pierce signed a three-year deal with the Clippers last summer, the writing seems to be on the wall for the 10-time All-Star. Bryant and Pierce appear to be headed in the same direction with their game just not what it used to be.
