All that walking has Paul Pierce in hater mode.
The former Celtics legend, who had to embark on an eight-mile, 20-hour walking trip to the FS1 studios in Los Angeles after the Knicks shockingly won Game 2 in Boston, attempted to throw some water on the Knicks’ raucous celebration after they eliminated his beloved team in Game 6 on Friday night at Madison Square Garden.
Pierce harped on the Knicks beating a Celtics squad at less than 100 percent due to Jayson Tatum’s absence since Game 4.
“Pacers ‘gon pop ya’ll, though. Ya’ll know that, right?” Pierce said on te Knicks’ Eastern Conference finals foe while sitting outside and holding a red Solo Cup, as seen in a video posted to social media.
“Ya’ll know that the Pacers is gonna get ya’ll. So I don’t even want hear all that, like, ya’ll feeling good, ya’ll beat an injured Celtics team. Ya’ll beat a Celtics injured team. We didn’t have our All-NBA player, First Team, MVP candidate who led us in all these categories. Ya know, whatever. But shoutout to New York.”
That Pierce would be a Knick hater is not shocking considering he spent 15 of his 19 seasons in Boston competing against them in the Atlantic Division, plus another two in the Eastern Conference as a member of the Nets and Wizards before finishing his career with the Clippers.
His final game as a Celtic came in a loss to the Knicks during the 2013 playoffs.
Seeing the Knicks do the same to the 2024-25 Celtics in their championship repeat attempt clearly did not sit well with Pierce, especially due to the compounding personal and health factors.
Pierce wagered in Game 2 a grueling trip to the office if the Celtics could not beat the Knicks at home after a Game 1 collapse and the Knicks again stormed back from 20 down to steal that game.
He then swore off doing such a bet ever again.
“I can’t believe this, Celtics got me out here like this,” Pierce said during his walk. “I’m really walking out here like this. I got a long walk to go.”
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The Knicks eventually grabbed a 3-1 series led before the Celtics’ chances of winning took a major hit with Tatum’s injury, with Boston losing its best player and one of the league’s to stars.
The Celtics managed to win Game 5 at home but no-showed Game 6.
Boston also dealt with a mysterious illness that hampered Kristaps Porzingis, who barely made a dent on this series.
Pierce is now hitching his wagon to the fourth-seeded Pacers in a rematch of last year’s second-round series in which Indiana ousted the Knicks in seven games.
The Knicks have been installed as betting favorites.