Paul Pierce: 'Hate' for Knicks Has Grown, Time for Nets to 'Start Running' NY

Paul Pierce hates the New York Knicks, now more than ever.

Having spent the past 15 years with the Boston Celtics, abhorring the Knicks came easy to The Truth. They were a rival, his archnemesis. It was impossible for him to loathe them any more than he already did.

Turns out that's not entirely true.

Now a member of a the Brooklyn Nets, Pierce told ESPN 98.7 FM's The Michael Kay Show his hatred for the Knicks has actually grown, according to ESPN New York's Mike Mazzeo:

"

I think the hate [for the Knicks] has grown a little. Everybody knows how much I disliked the Knicks when I was with the Celtics, but I think it's grown to another level. I think it's time for the Nets to start running this city.

"

Playing in the same city as the Knicks certainly spices up an already intense rivalry between a team and someone who has become known as an Orange-and-Blue killer of sorts.

Pierce is no stranger to the divisional fights waged between the Knicks and Celtics, but now he's engaged in a battle for the city of New York. The Knicks aren't just trying to steal a division crown, they're also moving in on his turf.

Well, actually, it's the other way around.

You wouldn't know it the way Pierce describes it, but the Nets are only entering their second season in Brooklyn. He speaks as if they never played in New Jersey, like the Nets' inner-city dominance is long overdue.

Really, it's the Nets who are attempting to move in on the Knicks' territory. They're still New York's team until proven otherwise, a reality that isn't lost on the Knicks' J.R. Smith no matter how impressive Brooklyn's offseason has been.

"It’s an unbelievable move for J-Kidd to have a team like that to start off with in his first year," Smith told reporters at a charity golf tournament, per Stephen Lorenzo of the New York Daily News. "I think they’ve got a great chance to compete for a title, but I think we’re still the marquee team in New York."

The reigning Sixth Man of the Year is correct. Had it been the Nets who won the Atlantic Division crown or eliminated the Knicks from the playoffs last year, or anything like that, there would be a stronger case for Brooklyn.

But the Nets can't erase decades upon decades of history (good and bad) and last season's results, specifically, with a blockbuster trade and handful of free-agency exploits. 

This is why the NBA plays the games. And with all that's at stake, it's most certainly why Pierce will love to play against the team he still despises.

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