Good lateral movement helped Iman Shumpert win the 2021 edition of ‘Dancing with the Stars’. But a decade prior, he was using those same tools to lock up Paul Pierce during the playoffs. It seems he did a good enough job because the Truth himself acknowledged Shumpert’s defensive impact.
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During the latest episode of ‘7 PM in Brooklyn’, former Knicks teammates Shumpert and Carmelo Anthony discussed their heated rivalry with the Celtics. The 2011 postseason, Shump’s first in the NBA, saw his team go up against Boston’s Big 3. Unfortunately for New York, the trio of Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen, was simply too much for them to handle as they would sweep the Knicks in the first round.
Two seasons later, they would match up again in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, desperate to exact their revenge. Shumpert prepared for the series by studying Pierce’s tendencies in the film room, so much so that he remembers his strategies even after ten years.
“He [Pierce] is not shooting a shot at the end of that game unless he step inside and he putting that b**ch in his right hand. I’m like, ‘Melo, I’m telling you, I just gotta get him to the fourth [quarter]. I can disrupt it in the fourth,'” Shumpert recalled.
The 34-year-old admitted that he was determined to not let the Celtics star get his shot off. Even if he did manage to get it up, Shump vouched that he was willing to ensure at least some sort of hindrance in the follow-through with his contest.
That’s exactly what he achieved too, forcing Pierce to make difficult shots all series long. For the first time since 2004, Pierce was shooting under 40% from the field and under 30% from deep. It would make all the difference, helping the Knicks eliminate Boston in six games.
“Bro, I’m giving you your nod,” the 2016 NBA champion explained. “You’re a great player. I don’t know when you’re going to shoot this stepback right? But you’re great when you can get to it. It’s just, I’m never gonna let you get to it.”
Iman described his defensive focus on Pierce as a sign of respect, and in an interesting turn of events, the Truth would catch a glimpse of this conversation and reciprocate the feeling. “#respect ain’t gone lie shunp one of them ones made it hard on a nig,” the 47-year-old responded.
#respect ain’t gone lie shunp one of them ones made it hard on a nig https://t.co/jTKK5FK3ef
— Paul Pierce (@paulpierce34) December 1, 2024
The 2008 NBA champion isn’t the only one to receive this treatment from Shumpert either.
Iman Shumpert had analyzed how to defend Kobe Bryant
Like most players growing up during the 2000s, Shump had watched the Black Mamba torch opponents in a variety of ways. But as a guard with NBA aspirations, he had also thought of ways to slow him down.
However, as one of the fiercest competitors the league has ever seen, Bryant was obviously not going to allow a young guard to figure out his game. During an appearance on Gilbert Arenas’ podcast, the 34-year-old revealed how Bryant had counters for all of his defensive strategies.
“Kobe always had a live dribble and then he started realizing that I was counting his dribbles,” Shumpert shared. “He start hitting me. Two dribble, pass it, get it back. But everything he did was sharp, and it was like they had it planned for me or some sh*t.”
Throughout his 10 seasons in the league, Shumpert was routinely tasked with guarding the opposing team’s best offensive creator. Though he would never win any accolades for his defense, there’s probably no greater testament to a player’s defensive prowess than Kobe Bryant planning for them.
