“Guarding Allen Iverson scared me to death”: Celtics legend Paul Pierce reveals why he didn’t want to match up with AI

Boston Celtics champ Paul Pierce explained why he never wanted to match against Philly Hall-Of-Famer Allen Iverson in a match.

Allen Iverson is one of the most prolific players of all time. Despite AI being only 6 feet tall, he torched the league night in and night out. He was clearly one of the most fearless players during his era as he wasn’t afraid to go up to the big players.

Only in his rookie season, Iverson went up against his idol Michael Jordan and hit him with a killer crossover.

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The guy led the league in scoring for an incredible four times. His offensive arsenal was so deep, he could drop a 40-piece in any way possible. Whether it was a tough shot or even off the dribble shot, Iverson did it all.

No player in the league wanted to guard the wrath of Allen Iverson. If they did, The Answer would simply embarrass them with one of his many offensive moves. One such player who was “scared to death” to guard the Philly 11-time All-Star, was the Boston Celtics icon, Paul Pierce.

“I didn’t want to end up on anyone’s ‘SportsCenter’ highlights”: Paul Pierce on guarding Allen Iverson

Paul Pierce had a legitimate reason for not going against the combo guard. Pierce explained:

“I didn’t match up with him, but I knew I was in situations in pick-and-roll where I switched out on him. I’m not gonna lie, I was scared to death — I could play defense and all, but I knew I couldn’t slide my feet with Allen Iverson.”

“Every night when you looked at the ‘SportsCenter’ highlights, he was crossing somebody up. All I know is when I switched on him, I was gonna give him that ole defense — I’m gonna let him do his move and I’m gonna let him go.”

“Hopefully, I can send him to the baseline because I was not trying to slide my feet with that guy. I didn’t want to end up on anyone’s ‘SportsCenter’ highlights. Period.”

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It is understandable why Pierce didn’t want to go against AI. In the total 37 games the two legends played against each other, Iverson managed to win 21-16. He even outscored Paul 26.7-25.7 in those games.

Allen Iverson was a tyrant on the court. Despite never winning a championship, he was a nightmare for teams to go against.