Paul Pierce knows LeBron’s tendencies better than any other Net after numerous playoff battle and he wanted the Nets to see that he isn’t intimidated by James or afraid of the Heat. I can’t wait to watch game 4 tonight that takes place in Brooklyn (8p on TNT)!
Check out what Pierce had to say about the Heat & LeBron’s reaction to it…
Via ESPN:
…After helping slow James down over the last three quarters of the Nets’ 104-90 win in Game 3, Pierce said the Nets don’t fear the Heat and he wants Brooklyn to play with the attitude and belief that the two-time defending champions are “not unbeatable.”
“You know you’ve got to have that type of mental [approach] when you’re going against a juggernaut,” Pierce explained about establishing a no-fear mental edge following Nets’ practice. “When you go against the best … a lot of series are won on fear factor, or the non-belief. When you have that non-belief, then you have no chance.
“What I try to do in this locker room and with my teammates is just try give them belief — that we can beat this team. They’re not unbeatable. You’ve got to have that mental [approach] if you’re trying to get over that mountain that you’re trying to climb.”
James bristled at Pierce’s talk, but agreed with Pierce’s point.
“Words don’t win the game, you’ve got to go out and play. Why should there be a fear factor, it’s just basketball,” James said Sunday. “We’re not trying to win a war here, it’s just basketball. We’re all grown men, who cares about who is fearing who. We’ve never been a team that talks, we don’t get into that. We’ve never been a bulletin board team. We just want to play the right way and give ourselves a chance to win.”
