Bob Ryan - Senility On Full Display

From today's Boston Globe:

Every once in a while Pierce reminds us that he is the greatest pure scoring machine in Celtics history. Many old-timers bristle when you say that, citing John Havlicek, Sam Jones, Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, or whomever. But it just happens to be the truth.

He can get his own shot, which is a major plus. He is an extremely proficient, highly ambidextrous, driver. He takes a lot of free throws. He is a constant 3-point threat. And he is the best fast break finisher the team has ever had. No argument.



First of all, my mossback neighbor needs to stop talking about "old-timers" in the third person.

The idea that Paul "never won anything" Pierce is a the greatest pure scoring machine in Celtics history is hogwash, if not outright blasphemy - ESPECIALLY coming from a man who watched Bird and McHale hoist banners from press row.

As a scoring machine, Larry Bird shot 49.6% from the floor for his career. Kevin McHale tallied a whopping 55.4% lifetime mark.

Meanwhile Paul Pierce is a mere 44% career shooter.

Bird also shot better from the 3-pt line (37.6% versus Paul's 36%) - and mind you, the arc was further out in his day as well.

And Bird made 88.6% of his free throws to PP's 84%.

You'd think a "machine" would have to be EFFICIENT, would it not?

If by "pure" scoring machine, Ryan means that Paul shouldn't be judged against multi-dimensional Celtics like Bird, McHale, Sam Jones, and Havlicek who actually did stuff without the ball like rebound, make their teammates better, and WIN championships, then yeah, Bob, I catch your trivial drift.

I'll bet Bob, in his manifest dotage, would like to be judged "purely" on the style of his writing - with little regard to its accuracy.

This reminds me, I am overdue for emailing the 'old coot'. I used to regularly harass him and he sent back some of the most dizzying responses one could imagine. Usually I start off by blaming the recent decline in Globe circulation on him and he invariably responds with a screed calling the public illiterate and whatnot.