There were few, if any, rivalries in the 2010s that matched the intensity of that between the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics.
At that time, they were two of the most dominant teams in the league. These two sides had some of the top players in the league as well as some of the most intense competitors in the entire NBA.
There’s no denying that Heat legend Udonis Haslem is on that list — at least in terms of being one of those passionate dudes who absolutely takes no nonsense from his opponents. So much so, that Haslem recently admitted that he still has some ill will against former Celtics superstar Paul Pierce.
Haslem made a guest appearance on Wednesday’s episode of the “Out the Mud” podcast with former NBA players Tony Allen and Zach Randolph. Haslem made it clear that he has no beef with the current Celtics. He even went as far as saying that Kevin Garnett is someone he thinks is “cool.”
The same cannot be said about his feelings towards Pierce.
“I just come from a place where you just can’t say what you want to say to people,” Haslem said of Pierce. “There come consequences with that. And they got to a point sometimes where he used to say things on the court to people that I just didn’t think was okay.”
“… Let’s keep it real. If you talk like that at the park, the trunk is going to get popped. … So why just cause we on this stage it’s okay now? Nah, same rules apply. Be respectful.”
Haslem didn’t go into detail as to what exactly Pierce said that has stuck with him to this day, but it is clear that the former Heat center still remembers them well.
Allen, Pierce’s former Celtics teammate, was pleading with Haslem for him to “squash” his beef with Pierce. At this point, however, it appears that Haslem isn’t prepared to do so just yet.