After Paul Pierce watched the biggest rival of his Hall of Fame career, LeBron James, slice and dice his way through the Nets’ defense in Game 1, Pierce went to Nets coach Jason Kidd before Game 2 with a request.
“I went to Kidd in Game 2 and said, ‘I want that [defensive] assignment,’ Pierce said, referring to guarding James himself, after Sunday’s practice. Until that point, Pierce had been guarding Shane Battier instead.
“I think I guarded him more than anybody in this gym,” Pierce said. “I know his tendencies a little bit more and I just try to step up in that role and try to lead that way.”
“I don’t have the offensive load that I had in the past where I set on having to carry us all the way offensively and then take the best defensive assignment. Now you have to reserve a lot of energy toward trying to defend him. When the time comes for me to score, then I’ll do that also.”
Since Game 1, the Nets have slowly pushed James away from the basket and turned him into more of a jump shooter. After going 5-for-9 at the rim in Game 1, James went 6-for-7 in Game 2 and 4-for-4 in Game 3 — including taking just one shot in close after the end of the first quarter.
And while there is no “right” way to try and slow down James, most teams would prefer he do what he did for most of Game 3 against the Nets: become a jump shooter.
“Unless he goes crazy and starts hitting [jumpers],” Deron Williams said of making James stay on the perimeter. “But yeah, we want him shooting jumpers rather than getting to the lane, and making things happen.
“That’s what he wants to do. If we just let him come down comfortably get into lane anytime he wants, we’re not going to have a very good success rate, so we want to live with contested jumpers rather than him and Dwyane [Wade] getting into the lane.”
Between the loss of Mike Miller, whom the Heat amnestied after winning the title last season to save a significant luxury tax penalty, the advancing age of several of their remaining role players and the combined toll of playing in the Finals each of the past three seasons, this year’s Heat team is considered to be the weakest of the four Pat Riley has assembled since landing James and Chris Bosh to play alongside Wade in July 2010.
Just don’t tell that to Pierce.
“Yeah, definitely,” Pierce said when asked if the Heat are at the same level they’ve been during their previous two title runs. “They’re well-seasoned now.”
“They know how to win. They’ve won two championships. There’s nothing they haven’t been through. So one thing you always hear and it’s kind of cliché is, ‘Never underestimate the heart of a champion.’
“That’s what they have under their belts…they’re the team to beat.”