SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio Spurs were recently the target of Celtics legend and 2021 Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Paul Pierce.
Pierce was a guest on Showtime Basketball's "Kevin Garnett Certified" show and proceeded to throw shade at the Spurs' defense.
In a nutshell, the long-retired Pierce says he can score 20 points on the Spurs (and Pistons) today and calls both teams "slump busters."
"I can get a bucket on one of them teams right now. I can score a dub on either one of them teams right now as we speak. Their defense ain't nothing there. I can get you a dub in a game right now today against Detroit and against San Antonio," he said. "I can get you a 20-piece nuggets. I swear to God, every team's looking at them, they're slump busters."
San Antonio's defense has ranked near the bottom of the league but maybe Pierce will want to reconsider his thoughts.
Sure, the Spurs are not the upper crust of the best NBA team defenses but they have improved in recent games.
"I would say defensively we're doing a much better job at just staying in front of guys," Doug McDermott said. "We're definitely a team that likes to protect the paint but if you can stay in front of your guy that eliminates the next guy from having to over-help so much at times."
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Currently, San Antonio is 12th in Defensive Rating at 114.9 in the last five games. A considerable jump with the team ranking near the bottom of the NBA to start the season.
Also, the Spurs rank 8th in the NBA in opponent field goal percentage at 66.9% in shots less than five feet from the rim.
In addition, there's the Victor Wembanyama defensive presence. He's currently recording 3.0 blocks per game and his 8-foot wingspan causes havoc for opponents looking to take shots at the rim.
What do you have to say about Pierce's opinion on scoring on the Spurs? Let us know on X at @KENS5, and @JeffGSpursKENS5.