Paul Pierce claims his trash talk caused LeBron James to miss many crucial free throwsÂ
Paul Pierce made a name for himself in the NBA as a clutch scorer and trash talker, especially when he played on the Boston Celtics alongside Kevin Garnett. While in Boston, Pierce clashed with LeBron James multiple times in the playoffs in ultra-competitive series. However, Pierce told Skip Bayless that his trash talk caused a younger LeBron James to miss free throws at the end of games.
"Especially when he got to the free throw line," said Pierce about his trash-talking strategy towards James. "I would always talk to him cause he would miss crucial free throws."
Paul Pierce went on to say that he and other players took advantage of the fact that at the time, James would let trash talk get into his head. Additionally, it took some time before LeBron was comfortable shooting clutch free throws, especially in the postseason, making him a prime candidate for fouls at the end of close contests.
"His early reputation, he wasn't making critical free throws," Pierce said about one of James' early drawbacks. "I was like 'well, you know he don't miss'. I would tell him 'this is that time of the game, he's not gonna make these. Don't even worry about it, just get ready to rebound.'"
NBA players have been talking trash to one another at the free throw line throughout the league's history, but Pierce was one of the best, even getting into the head of one of the game's all-time greats. He had as much playoff experience against James as anyone in the league, with the two going toe-to-toe in multiple Eastern Conference playoff series.
Does Paul Pierce's trash-talk strategy still work in today's NBA?
While players are no longer allowed to talk trash as freely as they used to be, there are still some subtle strategies that are used to throw a free throw shooter off. Players will meander in the lane in between free throws and switch positions to try to unfocus the shooter. However, there are still some players who will talk trash at the line.
The most recent memorable example of Paul Pierce's trash talk strategy working was actually against the Celtics two seasons ago. Grant Williams was at the line with a chance to shoot two free throws to win a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers when Donovan Mitchell walked by and told Williams that he was going to miss both free throws and the game would go into overtime.
Williams chirped back at the Cavaliers star, telling him "I'm gonna make 'em both" before shooting. Williams proceeded to miss both free throws and the Celtics lost the game in overtime, proving that while not as prevalent in today's NBA, talking trash at high-leverage moments like Paul Pierce did with LeBron James can work out if done well.