Paul Pierce Interview: On being a father, and being in Brooklyn, New York.

Pierce was being interviewed by DuJour on dujour.com, and there were just a few snippets I wanted to highlight and comment on.

DJ: There’s already been a lot of trash-talking between you and the Knicks. Is it genuine or are you just trying to create buzz around the rivalry?

PP: I’ve never really liked the Knicks anyway. We had a rivalry being in Boston...so I moved over to Brooklyn and we’re still in the same division playing for the same division championship, ultimately to see who’s going be the king of the East. I think the rivalry wouldn’t be as good if you didn’t have both teams at the level that they’re at.


DJ: What’s it like living in the same city as your rival?

PP: I think it’s great for the city—it’s great for sports. A lot of the fans that may have been living in Brooklyn, cheering for the Knicks, now they’re gonna convert over to the Brooklyn team. People love the New York Knicks and now, we’re giving people a reason to love Brooklyn.

You can find the rest of the interview here.

I'm a Brooklyn native, and I must say, there is certainly a buzz going on in the city of New York. The Knicks have been hungry for a while, and the fans were elated to see the Knicks finally win the Atlantic Division title for the first time since 1994. The celebration didn't stop there though. You can only imagine what they felt like when the Knicks advanced to the 2nd round of the playoffs, while beating the rival Boston Celtics to get there! The Knicks and their fans have a taste of victory now, and they're not trying to stop until they hoist a championship banner.

The same will undoubtedly go for Paul Pierce and the Nets. Pierce has been denied a second championship for 6 years in a row. Pierce's competitive nature, mixed with the exchange involving J.R. Smith, and the "Battle of the Boroughs" hype gives you a stage set for an interesting 2013-2014 NBA season.

Many fans may not particularly care for the Nets, but I'll say the majority of fans want to see Pierce and Garnett play well and earn their 2nd rings (while beating a few rivals on the way there). The competition and rivalries are a good healthy part of the NBA, it's good for the players and it's fans. I'm expecting to see some real good games coming from these two teams. I can only imagine the madness that'll swirl around the first Knicks-Nets game. With all the hype, media coverage, and the trash talk, you would think that every Knick and Net fan was about to suit up and hit the court also.

*Sigh* I can't wait for the basketball season to start...