"You've been smoking too much" - 5x NBA All-Star shuts down Paul Pierce's claim that he's better than 3x NBA champion 

Miami Heat legend Tim Hardaway Sr. has backed three-time NBA champion Dwyane Wade from Paul Pierce. Pierce has previously insisted that he was a better player compared to Wade. Hardaway Sr. couldn't fathom the Boston Celtics legend's thought process and expressed his opinions regarding the matter.

During a segment on SiriusXM NBA Radio which aired on Saturday, Hardaway Sr. said that Pierce was delusional in believing that he was better than Wade.

The five-time NBA All-Star then mentioned how the former Celtics star simply hated the Heat. During the Heatles era, consisting of LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Wade, Miami consistently beat Boston. Hardaway believes Pierce's feelings toward them worsened when his former teammate Ray Allen joined the team he despised.

"Paul Pierce said he's better than Dwyane Wade," Hardaway Sr. said. "You out your mind. You've been smoking too much. You're not better than Dwyane Wade. You've been hating on the Miami Heat since Ray Allen left Boston [Celtics] to go to Miami Heat. That's why he's not on Pat Riley's side. He's been hating on the Miami Heat and Pat Riley... since they've been getting beat by Miami."

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Paul Pierce believes Pat Riley ran his stars out of Miami

Paul Pierce criticized Pat Riley in an episode of his podcast with Kevin Garnett known as the "Ticket and the Truth" podcast, which was released on Saturday. Pierce observed that Jimmy Butler is getting the same treatment that guys like LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Shaquille O'Neal had to experience during their tenure with the Heat.

Paul Pierce firmly believes that once Riley gets what he expects from a certain player, he doesn't care what happens to them and will let them go. The Truth pointed out how that happened to James, O'Neal, and Wade, and is now happening to Butler. (Start at 25:32)

"I've seen this with [Pat Riley's] other superstars," Paul Pierce noted. "Like how D-Wade don't retire a Heat? Like, he do retire a Heat, and he got a statue and all, but how did he get to Chicago and have to come back like that? That should have never happened. That was all Riley, though."

"It makes me look at Pat Riley like once I get whatever I got out of you, you can get the f**k out of here," added Pierce. "That's what Pat Riley's mentality is. Once I got what Shaq, I got a chip out of y'all, who gives a f**k about him. LeBron, all right, get out, Wade, you too. That's what it's starting to look like to me. Once I get what I want from you, kick rocks."

Dwyane Wade ended up going to the Chicago Bulls because Pat Riley didn't want to match his superstar's offer. And while LeBron James expressed his desire to go back to Cleveland, Riley not giving the King the privileges that he had asked for also played a detrimental factor in his departure.

A similar thing is happening again, this time with their latest star Jimmy Butler, as Pat Riley has refused to offer a contract extension, who could become a free agent this summer.