Boston Celtics: Paul Pierce's Scoring vs. Larry Bird's Below-the-Rim Game

You won't convince many Boston Celtics fans that Paul Pierce was his generation's Larry Bird.

For one thing, there will never be another Bird.

And for another, there are important differences in how these two guys played the game. There's no question, though, that there are also important similarities.

Both forwards had to rely on intelligence, skill and sheer guts rather than elite athleticism and physical tools. Bird had excellent length, but lacked quickness as a result. His athletic ability more closely approximates Dirk Nowitzki's than most of today's small forwards.

Bird's size also made him a great rebounder. He may not have had the greatest hops, but he used his frame wisely. Like Kevin Love, Bird treated rebounding as a science and understood that positioning was everything.

That same kind of game IQ has given both Bird and Pierce unique scoring approaches as well.

Bird certainly had the better jump shot, but it's been the ability to score so creatively that differentiates Boston's iconic scorers from so many others.

Pierce's performance in the first round against the Atlanta Hawks has been a prime example.

The 34-year-old scored 36 points in Game 2 against the Hawks, getting to the free-throw line 13 times in the process. Three days later, he made up for a poor shooting night by returning to that line another 14 times. He didn't get there thanks to lightning-quick speed or overwhelming strength.

Instead, Pierce uses a dizzying array of pump-fakes, hesitation moves and fancy footwork both to find open shots and draw more than his fair share of contact from outwitted defenders.

Whether or not Bird was a superior practitioner of such tactics, he certainly helped popularize their use through his innovative repertoire of moves in the post and on the wing alike. As the kids would say, he had a lot of "junk" in his game.

Of course, it's not as if these Celtics were entirely bereft of physical gifts. Pierce is deceptively strong and has always had a decent first step. Bird could just plain shoot over most of the perimeter defenders who matched up with him.

But it's been their skilled and fundamentally sound approach to scoring that's defined their legacy. It serves as a reminder that greatness comes through hard work and relentless practice rather than physical ability alone.