Paul Pierce Bizarrely Claims Credit For LeBron James’ Unreal 2012 Game 6 45-Point Game

Boston Celtics star Paul Pierce battled LeBron James and the Miami Heat in the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals.

Paul Pierce Bizarrely Claims Credit For LeBron James’ Unreal 2012 Game 6 45-Point Game

Paul Pierce and LeBron James (Image via FirstSportz)

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Throughout LeBron James‘ stellar career, few players can think of the times when they went up against the Akron native and have not seen his best.

The 23 years he has spent in the league are littered with examples of how great the Los Angeles Lakers superstar has been. But there was a time when James’ reputation was at stake.

After his controversial move to the Miami Heat, fans and analysts went after him for essentially choking in their 2011 NBA Finals loss to the Dallas Mavericks.

The following season, the 6′ 9″ forward reverted to his MVP self and stormed to take his 3rd award despite having All-Stars Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh playing alongside him.

During that run to his first NBA championship, he came across a Boston Celtics team who were standing in his way. Paul Pierce, who guarded the Heat star on almost every possession, witnessed LeBron James go off in a career-altering performance.

This is it right here, this is his legacy is on the line cause if he loses this game, he’s going to get crucified. This is what the greatest players of all-time do, they step up to the occasion… I feel like I was a part of helping him get to the next step.

Paul Pierce said on No Fouls Given

The 48-year-old reiterated that if he and his Celtics were not as tough an opponent, the basketball world would not have witnessed that performance in Boston, on June 7th, 2012. With this claim, Pierce was seemingly taking credit for bringing the best out of James.

LeBron James shook the world in Game 6 against Paul Pierce

Ahead of Game 6 of the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals, the entire world was weighing on LeBron James and the Miami Heat, as the Boston Celtics had taken the lead in that series.

Paul Pierce and LeBron James during the 2012 East Finals
Paul Pierce and LeBron James during the 2012 East Finals (Image via NBA Central/X)

When many felt it would lead to another embarrassing exit for ‘The Chosen One’, the then 27-year-old decided to rise up to the challenge and prove his position as the best player in the league.

After starting the game with a facial expression that has since become a viral meme, James started hot, hitting 9 of his first 10 shots. Then, when he understood that his defenders were starting to get desperate, he lured them into overcommitting and drew fouls.

It seemed as if the boos from the hostile Celtics crowd and the indifference from the home team fueled the superstar, who then went on to score 30 points to conclude the first half, with his team comfortably in the lead.

The home team threw all sorts of defensive schemes at him, hand checks, double teams, weak side help, and even bump and grinding in an effort to slow him down. But nothing was stopping him that night.

LeBron James tallied 45 points with more than seven minutes still to go in the game. By then, a visibly exhausted and frustrated Paul Pierce took the bench, knowing where this game was going.

The former St. Vincent St. Mary’s alum also brought out his famous ‘silencer’ celebration, as he had effectively silenced the 18,624 fans at TD Garden.

LeBron James’ performance brought out nightmares in former head coach

When LeBron James finished his night with 45 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 assists, a certain Ty Lue, current head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers, was an assistant on the Boston Celtics.

I knew it. I saw the look in his eyes when he first stepped on the floor… I still have nightmares about that game.

Ty Lue said on Club Shay Shay

Lue detailed how the then-Celtics head coach Doc Rivers was scared to constantly trap the Heat superstar with double teams, as his passing ability would have allowed his teammates to flourish.

He then went on to reveal how watching James’ demeanor gave away what he was about to do. To this day, Lue, despite coaching the superstar to clinch the Cleveland Cavaliers’ first-ever NBA title, has nightmares thinking about that Game 6 performance.

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