If Pierce is a top ten player...

[IEcelticfan]

1. pp
2. pose
3. rajon
4. manu
5. d-will
6. TD
7. caron
8. dwight
9. al thornton
10. leon


oh...top 10 players, not my 10 fav players/or 10 i would put together if i was GM

[campybatman]

I was one of a few posters, if any at all, who'd Pierce as a MVP candidate this season. So, it's a welcome to read Pierce receive props, albeit after the fact.

Paul Pierce the Real MVP?

I was just as caught up in the MVP race as everyone else, and will be the first to admit that no one got any serious consideration in my discussion besides New Orleans point guard Chris Paul and the Lakers' Kobe Bryant. Chris Paul amazed everyone this season, taking his Hornets to within a game of the best record in the Western Conference, pushing David West to All-Star status, and even making Tyson Chandler a household name. Meanwhile, Kobe forced the Lakers to put a little more talent around him and then proved he could lead a team back to the Finals without Shaquille O'Neal standing over him. Sure, they lost in embarrassing fashion, but all season long Kobe showed the kind of leadership and personal accomplishment that define an MVP.

Now, however, I find myself wondering how I overlooked the most obvious . . .and perhaps best . . .choice for MVP: Paul Pierce.

All season the talk has been about Kevin Garnett's arrival in Boston. Occassionally Ray Allen's name would come up, as well, but only in the context of Garnett - kind of like a footnote. The story of the Celtics has been the story of Garnett and how he would bring another championship to the team that has won more titles than any team in the history of the NBA. Yet throughout the entire season we've seen that as Paul Pierce goes, so go the Celtics.

KG was injured, yet Boston kept winning. Ray Allen lost his shot for a while, yet the Celtics kept winning. All through the season, as the media focused on Allen and Garnett, it was Paul Pierce making the big plays, hitting the big threes, making game-saving shots or defensive stops . . .through it all it was Pierce pushing his team to the next level.

And at the end of the season it was Pierce holding the trophy.

All year we looked at Kobe and then CP3 as the MVP frontrunners, but perhaps we should have been paying a little more attention to what was going on in the Eastern Conference. Perhaps the real MVP was The Truth after all.

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=9158

[greenbeans]

Lebron
Chris Paul
KG/TD
TD/KG
Dwight Howard
Dwyane Wade (healthy....no need to say he's not healthy, blah blah)
Yao Ming
Steve Nash
Dirk Nowitski
Manu Ginobli

Those Ten Ahead of Him

Hes in the next tier fighting it out with....

Amare
TMac
Bosh
JJ
Melo

Lets not overrate Pierce here. I know his defense has improved but I think people are getting a little carried away. He scored a little less then 20 ppg with a FG% of 44, despite having a good amount of help to draw attention away from him. I will give him credit for his defense, but I also felt Ray Allen did a tremendous job on Kobe............and great defensive teams will always make everyone look like a better defender because teammates will be able compensate for other teammates' weaknesses.

His previous playoff performance haven't been spectacular either. In his 5 career playoff appearances he has shot the following percentages....

40.3%
39.9%
34.2%
50.5%
44.1%
------
Avg = 42%

He's a good player that was probably underrated before this season, but I think he is finally getting his due (and then some).

ok, heres an idea: we dont overrate Pierce and you dont overrate Wade, deal???

[Wade3Iverson]

ok, heres an idea: we dont overrate Pierce and you dont overrate Wade, deal???

Fine. But, I've already lived up to my part of the deal

I don't know where you're getting at, but a vast majority (of non-Boston fans) rank Wade ahead of Pierce. It's really not a discussion, besides health. Wades peak was never and will never be approached by Pierce.

[greenbeans]

yeah, what an 18 months. Lil Penny>Fave5

[sully00]

NDaATL

You can make plenty of arguments that say Paul Pierce is not a top 10 player. But don't tell me one finals MVP doesn't cut it and talk about his supporting cast and then put DWade on the list.

That is almost as good as people scoffing at Amare Stoudamire being a top 10 player because of his defense and then putting Steve Nash on the list.

Explain yourself.

[Spin Move]

I do it in a trade value sort of way, who at this point in there career (disregarding salary) would I trade for another player.

1.Dwight howard, There is not a single player straight up in the NBA I would trade him for period, PG play is great, but he is THE big for the next 5 years.
2. Lebron, Crazy skills, decent teamate, has made it to the finals already, still very young, still not a big, and michael is still the only non big to pretty much single handedly lead his team to a title.
3. Chris Paul, Flat out stud at the PG spot, yes his D could stand to improve even more but he is what you dream about from a PG.
4. Deron Williams, cant carry a team yet on his own a great all around player, better defender then paul and an even more effecient scorer, not quite the passer.
5. Kobe Bryant, Getting a little older, still a top 5 player and will be for years, not a great teamate
6. Tim Duncan, The complete player, getting older but still the big who has done the most.
7. KG, not super clutch, great motivator solid scorer and the most intense player in the NBA
8. Amare, really came around once shaq got back, when he doesnt have to play center he is a solid defender, great scorer who will only get better.
9. Paul Pierce, can really do is all, above average in every single facet of the game
10. Gilbert Arenas, Flat out balls to the wall scorer, he would be higher had he not been injured.

[Gomes3PC]

1. Lebron- He is the best player in the NBA. If Howard progresses he can surpass him, but he isn't better yet. We'd all rather have faced Orlando than Cleveland, depsite Howard's better supporting cast. That's proof enough to me LBJ is better now.

2. CP3- They ran into the one team that would've given them trouble in the West. Despite a team of 3rd and 4th scorers and no real low post threat, Paul led that team to dominance and came just short of beating the defending champs. He was one of the most improved players in the NBA the way his outside shot has gone from totally unreliable to near-automatic.

3. Kobe- Despite the bad Finals showing, I still think Kobe is top 5 automatically. He played with a mentally soft team that matched up badly with the Celtics. He was also missing a huge piece in Bynum. Not a leader, but I don't think it matters. His team still plays hard around him usually. Has the best midrange game in the NBA and is a good though not great defender.

4. Garnett- To me, his defense is what brings him here. He's not in the top 30 for guys you want with the ball in the clutch but he brought one of the worst defenses to the best overnight just by being moved to Boston. He is a great rebounder, a great shooter for a big man, and a great team leader. Extremely consistent from game to game and year to year. Extremely durable as well.

5. Duncan- He's lost a step in the open court, but the guy can still ball. If the Spurs were in the East and played the slower, more physical style in that was exhibited in the East playoffs, they would've thrived. In the wide-open West they are the exception. Duncan is still a monster rebounder, a good defender, and can fill it up when needed. No longer the force of nature that Dwight Howard should turn into though.

6. Pierce- Call me crazy, but despite the lower statistical production, this was PP's greatest year. There was no player in the NBA who dominated the big games like Pierce did, starting with the Cleveland close-out, moving on to Detroit, and finishing with his last two games against LA. He defended Joe Johnson, Lebron, Tayshaun Prince, and Kobe and did a phenomenal job on all of them. He can do it all, and is unstoppable at getting into the lane now that KG can open things up a bit with his jumper. Unlike Deron Williams or several guy below, he has carried his team on his own (2002 ECF runnerup).

7. Nowitzki- I think Dirk went from overrated to underrated in nearly the blink of an eye. His supporting cast has fallen off a cliff and the West has gotten better at the same time. Dirk is still the best shooting big man in the NBA, is a very good rebounder, and an adept passer. He's no Larry Legend but I also do not think he is unclutch. I'd take Dirk on my team anyday, as he is affable and intense, not to mention superbly talented. His teammates gave up on IMO this year when they realized they were undermanned in the West. Hopefully Cuban doesn't squander his few great remaining years with whacky, half-brained trades like the Kidd one.

8. Deron- Easily the most physical PG in the league, more than even Billups. He is Billups in his prime yet it took him just two years to get there, unlike Chauncey's 5-year odyssey. Sloan's pick and roll is perfect for him, and if he ever gets consistent wing play (ie- a guy who can score and defend, rather than one-dimensional guys like Korver and AK), he can be a champion. His defense still has a ways to go, as old friend Derek Fisher schooled him quite a bit. He has the skills to take over even more offensively but does a great job of getting teammates involved.

9. Yao- Say what you want about his durability, but when he is on the court he is nearly impossible to stop. He has the best post moves in the NBA and is money in the paint and on the line, which is crucial in big games. His defense is solid, but could be phenomenal if he had more time with a guy like Thibodeau. If he ever stays healthy, he'd shoot into the top 4-5 of this list, especially now with Luis Scola and TMac now seemingly being consistent performers for Houston.

10. Manu/DWade- IMO these two are basically the same players and tie for 10th. Both are terrific slashers and scorers, able to score at will when on their game. Both thrive on 4th quarters and close games. Both seem to battle nagging injuries from time to time that hinder them more than they should (see how Pierce fights through injuries as an example). Both are underrated defenders, but both also need a good/great big man with them to truly flourish. Referee love or not, DWade's NBA Finals performance was one of the 2-3 best I have ever seen in my life, along with Duncan's year he went for 24-17-5 and 5 blocks, as well as a couple of Jordan's years. Manu's clutch stats do it for me: 68% eFG, Net 48 +/- of 18.4; all the guy does is make big shots down the stretch.