Paul Pierce on Tuesday stuck up for fellow Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum.
Pierce and the rest of FS1’s “Speak” panel were discussing the Celtics’ Game 1 West semifinals loss to the New York Knicks. Tatum tied Jaylen Brown with a team-high 23 points in the 108-105 overtime defeat. But he went 1/9 combined in the fourth quarter and OT.
NBA analyst Ric Bucher criticized Tatum’s poor performance, even going so far as to question the Celtics star’s dependability as a go-to scorer when the stakes are elevated.
“I don’t see him as a pure scorer,” said Bucher. “I think he can score. I think what he does is he looks what the Celtics are doing and he can contribute in a multitude of ways. … But if I’m trusting him to be my go-to scorer, that scares me.”
.@RicBucher: Jayson Tatum isn't a pure scorer. pic.twitter.com/vLJwdKCy5I
— Speak (@SpeakOnFS1) May 6, 2025
Pierce pushed back a little during the show, but later clowned Bucher in a post on social media.
“This guy doesn’t know ball lol,” wrote Pierce in reference to Bucher.
This guy doesn’t know Ball lol https://t.co/4gOUNZIUmC
— Paul Pierce (@paulpierce34) May 7, 2025
Tatum has averaged at least 26 points per game in each of the last five seasons. He was also the Celtics’ leading postseason scorer during their 2024 NBA Championship run. The man has shown his ability to score both during the regular season and on the grandest stage.
Tatum was not the only player who underperformed in Game 1 against the Knicks. The entire Celtics team shot so poorly that they set an ignominious playoff record in the loss.
