Paul Pierce does not believe that the addition of Kyrie Irving is enough to take the Boston Celtics above the Cleveland Cavaliers as the top team in the Eastern Conference.
The Celtics legend said on ESPN’s “The Jump” that the Cavs are still the better team simply by virtue of having a certain LeBron James.
While the Irving trade still isn’t completely finalized, Pierce thinks the Cavs will be fine without Kyrie as they will pick up the likes of Isaiah Thomas and Jae Crowder if the deal does go through, along with the addition of Derrick Rose earlier in the offseason.
The Celtics overtook the Cavs as the No. 1 seed in the East last season and continued to improve this summer as they signed Gordon Hayward, drafted No. 3 overall pick Jayson Tatum, and traded for Marcus Morris and Irving. Although, Irving’s inclusion on that list of additions remains tentative at this point.
Even if Irving does ultimately end up with the Celtics, it’s hard to argue with The Truth in that any team that James plays for should be considered the favorite to win the conference. After all, LeBron has won the East for an incredible seven straight years, and it’ll take a special team to finally end the his special streak.