Now a member of the Brooklyn Nets, Paul Pierce is ready to run the city. The New York Knicks have always been the top team in town, but Pierce is ready for that all to change. While he may not have cared much for the team as a member of the Boston Celtics, now in Brooklyn he really hates the Knicks.
"I think the hate [for the Knicks] has grown a little. Everybody knows how much I disliked the Knicks when I was with the Celtics, but I think it's grown to another level," Pierce said on ESPN NewYork 98.7 FM. "I think it's time for the Nets to start running this city."
Pierce is not lacking for confidence in his new team. He recognizes that the only separating the two franchise is a bridge and he is excited for the rivalry to grow as the team's get better. He will have plenty of chances to help make that happen as the Knicks and the Nets are set to meet each other four different times in the upcoming season. Their first matchup will come Dec. 5 at the Barclays Center.
The Nets are a much different team than the one from last season. They made significant upgrades to the roster in order to win a championship as soon as possible. Along with Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Jason Terry and Andrej Kirilenko were all added to the roster to join first-year head coach Jason Kidd.
The criticism facing the Nets' newly upgraded roster is the age of some of the players. After spending his entire career in Boston, many question just how motivated Pierce is in Brooklyn. He is hearing the critics loud and clear, but does not need that to motivate him.
"I don't have to use anything to motivate me, a trade or anything like that, for me to say I want to win a championship," Pierce said. "I've only got so many more years left in my career, so ultimately the goal is to try to win another one or two, as many as I can before I retire. That's the motivation right there."
Pierce believes that hands down, the current Nets team is the best he has ever been a part of. The projected starting lineup consists of Pierce, Garnett, Deron Williams, Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez. There are plenty of All-Star appearances to go around with that group. But can they rise above the Knicks to take the crown of New York?
"So I just want to instill that in the teammates, the organization," Pierce said. "This is our time. This is it. A lot of players, a lot of teams, you don't get this opportunity. It's tough. I played so many years with so many bad teams -- it's like, when you get these opportunities, you cherish them."
