NBA: Clyde "The Glide" Drexler vs. Paul "The Truth" Pierce

[Phillip]

Clyde Drexler Accomplishments

http://www.basketball-reference.com/...drexlcl01.html

10x All Star
1x NBA Champion (3 Finals appearances)
2x All NBA 3rd Team
2x All NBA 2nd Team
1x All NBA 1st Team





Paul Pierce Accomplishments

http://www.basketball-reference.com/...piercpa01.html

10x All Star
1x NBA champion (2 Finals Appearances)
1x Finals MVP
3x All NBA 3rd Team
1x All NBA 2nd Team






Both players have quite comparable stats across the board, as well as advanced stats. Drexler was a supreme athlete with a solid skillset, and was generally on loaded teams most of his career. Some feel his Blazers teams underachieved, others say they had the misfortune of running into some very hot teams in the Pistons and Bulls in the Finals. He got a championship, but did so by jumping ship underneath Hakeem and the Rockets late in his career. Pierce was a solid athlete, but never really based his game on athleticism. He has always had a fantastic jumper and a crafty, versatile skillset. Was stuck on garbage teams early in his career, but stayed through it all with his team, and somehow got one game away from the Finals with Antoine Walker as his second option. When he finally got some legitimate support, the Celtics were quite dominant, he outplayed Kobe offensively and defensively in the finals, and led his team to a championship. They probably would have repeated, and MAYBE even 3-peated, if it weren't for some untimely injuries (KG in 09, Perkins in the 10 Finals).



Who do you take? Why?

And please don't turn this into a Kobe thread. gots.

[N0 LyF3 ScRuB]

Drex, but it's close.

[RsxPiimp]

Kobe s on both

[Buddy Mignon]

If you combine the skillsets of Drexler and Pierce. .. you still don't come close to what Kobe has even at 35 with a torn achilles.

[Clipper Nation]

Kobe s on both

If you combine the skillsets of Drexler and Pierce with my Naruto gotry. .. you still don't come close to what Kobe has even at 35 with a torn achilles.

^ Exhibits A and B of why serious basketball conversation isn't possible on here

I would take Drexler, tbh.....

[AchillesHeel]

Drexler because of nostalgia, Pierce because I've been a fan since the early 2000s, basically his whole career.

[RsxPiimp]

^ Exhibits A and B of why serious basketball conversation isn't possible on here

I would take Drexler, tbh.....

I created one of the best basketball thread this offseason go yourself

[AchillesHeel]

I created one of the best basketball thread this offseason go yourself

This thread is about Pierce vs Drexler, and you still managed to involve Kirby in this.

Seriously, can you for once talk basketball without involving the rapist?

[RsxPiimp]

Pierce is craftier, has no flare and just get the job done. drexler liked to look good during his prime years. Defensively pierce is a much much better player, I'll give the rebounding to clyde, he was a hawk and would clean the glass better than most guards.

Clutch and defense? Pierce s on drexler. Pierce would kick ass in the 80-90's. His game was built for that minus the flop

Clutch and defense goes to pierce, I'm picking Paul.

[AchillesHeel]

Pierce is craftier, has no flare and just get the job done. drexler liked to look good during his prime years. Defensively pierce is a much much better player, I'll give the rebounding to clyde, he was a hawk and would clean the glass better than most guards.

Clutch and defense? Pierce s on drexler. Pierce would kick ass in the 80-90's. His game was built for that minus the flop

Clutch and defense goes to pierce, I'm picking Paul.

Thank you.

[ambchang]

Drexler was the better overall player. Better at directing offense, arguably a better shooter (factoring in the era), most definitely the better athlete, better rebounder.

But Pierce is the better finisher with an assortment of moves, great mid-range game, can post up, can shoot from outside, just very difficult to stop.

Their defense is pretty much equal, and both being average.

I will pick Drexler, but purely because of nostalgic reasons, they are really really close.

[8FOR!3]

I'll take Paul Pierce, reasons have already been explained by others.

[Spur-Addict]

Kobe s on both

Steak boy shat on himself with TheRape.

[baseline bum]

I'll take Pierce; better defense and more range.

[RsxPiimp]

And Calling pierce' defense as average is pretty re ed tbh. He was one of the better yet underrated defender among swingmen

[TDMVPDPOY]

that blazers team that went to the finals 2x...stacked but couldnt get it done....

[ambchang]

And Calling pierce' defense as average is pretty re ed tbh. He was one of the better yet underrated defender among swingmen

LOL, him stopping and significantly outplaying Kobe in 08 does not make him a great defender. He had a career DRtg of around 102 and DWS of around 3 to 5 games, which isn't bad, but isn't phenomenal given the minutes he played. After factoring in eras, those numbers are very much the same as what Drexler put up in his career.

[JamStone]

LOL, him stopping and significantly outplaying Kobe in 08 does not make him a great defender. He had a career DRtg of around 102 and DWS of around 3 to 5 games, which isn't bad, but isn't phenomenal given the minutes he played. After factoring in eras, those numbers are very much the same as what Drexler put up in his career.

I'm no advanced stats geek, but that 102 DRtg and that 3-5 DWS are both in line with what Ron Artest and Bruce Bowen did in their careers. And you don't have to factor in eras, because they played in the same era as Paul Pierce. Pierce's defensive advanced stats seem really good.

Pierce has always been a solid defender, but he's a really good defender when he has teammates who are also good defenders. Pierce knows how to play great team defense and when he knows he has help, that allows him to cheat and gamble more. He makes up for his lack of elite athleticism with good sound technique and basketball IQ and awareness. I'd say Pierce is one of the better and more underrated wing defenders of the 2000s.

[AchillesHeel]

LOL, him stopping and significantly outplaying Kobe in 08 does not make him a great defender. He had a career DRtg of around 102 and DWS of around 3 to 5 games, which isn't bad, but isn't phenomenal given the minutes he played. After factoring in eras, those numbers are very much the same as what Drexler put up in his career.

Pierce at least used to be a solid defender, that 08 Finals lockdown on Kirby was pretty sweet, tbh.

[ambchang]

I'm no advanced stats geek, but that 102 DRtg and that 3-5 DWS are both in line with what Ron Artest and Bruce Bowen did in their careers. And you don't have to factor in eras, because they played in the same era as Paul Pierce. Pierce's defensive advanced stats seem really good.

Pierce has always been a solid defender, but he's a really good defender when he has teammates who are also good defenders. Pierce knows how to play great team defense and when he knows he has help, that allows him to cheat and gamble more. He makes up for his lack of elite athleticism with good sound technique and basketball IQ and awareness. I'd say Pierce is one of the better and more underrated wing defenders of the 2000s.

Again, factoring in minutes played. DRtg was a product of team D as well, so that should be compared to his own teammates. For example, Garnett had DWS of around 5 to 6, Rondo hovers around 5. Again, Pierce wasn't bad, just that he wasn't all that phenomenal.

I agree that he is a good team d player, but not a lockdown like Bowen or Artest.

[Phillip]

I agree that he is a good team d player, but not a lockdown like Bowen or Artest.

To be fair, how often do you see people who are the #1 scorer on their team, being a lockdown defender for entire games? Most superstar players in history have been fully capable of playing elite defense, but general don't until late in close games. This include Lebron, Kobe, MJ, and many others. I think Pierce falls in this category. He may allow some scores and put less effort through most of the game, but when he needs to step up and play lockdown defense, I've rarely seen him come up short in that regards. I always feel that star scorers should be given a little more slack on their defense, no matter who they are or how bad they seem on defense (including people with bad defensive reputations like Bird, Magic, Barkley, Nash, and Dirk). For instance, people bash on Nash an awful lot, but when you watch him, when he needs to play good defense, he actually moves his feet extremely well and does a good job staying in front of his man, and he has never really had the benefit of a reliable big man behind him to give him help. Still not a good defender, just not as bad as people make him out to be, but he has a few legit excuses to go along with it as well.

People who aren't relied on to be primary scorers like Artest, Tony Allen, Bruce Bowen, are able to spend more energy throughout the game on a nightly basis focusing on playing shutdown defense.

[RsxPiimp]

I'm no advanced stats geek, but that 102 DRtg and that 3-5 DWS are both in line with what Ron Artest and Bruce Bowen did in their careers. And you don't have to factor in eras, because they played in the same era as Paul Pierce. Pierce's defensive advanced stats seem really good.

Pierce has always been a solid defender, but he's a really good defender when he has teammates who are also good defenders. Pierce knows how to play great team defense and when he knows he has help, that allows him to cheat and gamble more. He makes up for his lack of elite athleticism with good sound technique and basketball IQ and awareness. I'd say Pierce is one of the better and more underrated wing defenders of the 2000s.

Jamstone with some irrefutable goods tbh.

[ambchang]

To be fair, how often do you see people who are the #1 scorer on their team, being a lockdown defender for entire games? Most superstar players in history have been fully capable of playing elite defense, but general don't until late in close games. This include Lebron, Kobe, MJ, and many others. I think Pierce falls in this category. He may allow some scores and put less effort through most of the game, but when he needs to step up and play lockdown defense, I've rarely seen him come up short in that regards. I always feel that star scorers should be given a little more slack on their defense, no matter who they are or how bad they seem on defense (including people with bad defensive reputations like Bird, Magic, Barkley, Nash, and Dirk).

People who aren't relied on to be primary scorers like Artest, Tony Allen, Bruce Bowen, are able to spend more energy throughout the game on a nightly basis focusing on playing shutdown defense.

Fair point, but that still doesn't make him a lockdown defender. Also, Lebron and MJ does plenty of lockdown when they play.

[Phillip]

Fair point, but that still doesn't make him a lockdown defender. Also, Lebron and MJ does plenty of lockdown when they play.

I won't say he should be considered quite in the category of Artest, Lebron, or Bowen, but he is still very good when he needs to be. At least good enough to the point that he should be considered above average defensively.

[RsxPiimp]

People have selective memories, pierce also effectively locked up Lebron in 2008 eastern semis iirc holding lebron to 40% shooting. Pierce is anything but average, don't let the lack of all defensive selection fool you.

There's a reason why Lebron named pierce as his biggest rival. Prime pierce was tough as nails.