Former Celtic Scalabrine claims Pierce is NBA's best trash talker

Brian Scalabrine played for the Boston Celtics from 2005-10, when "The White Mamba" likely overheard a fair amount of trash talk considering who his teammates were.

With Kendrick Perkins, Tony Allen, Eddie House, and smack-talk royalty Kevin Garnett in the locker room, Scalabrine has a story or two to tell. But it was Paul Pierce who apparently took the cake among the gum-flappers.

From Scalabrine's mailbag for The Players Tribune:

Paul Pierce is the greatest trash talker I’ve ever encountered in this league. Paul’s trash talk was devastating because he’s so witty and smart. I mean, the guy is off the charts smart. It’s one thing to say something outrageous or offensive to throw someone off, but I would hear Paul just cut through guys with his words. And the fact that he was so respected made his insults hurt even more. Nobody wants to get told they’re human garbage by The Truth.

You can see why Paul’s had so much success with poker. He understands how to employ psychological warfare to his advantage. To him, that’s all part of the game. He didn’t back down from any player, and there was never a time when he appeared rattled. Guys could try to talk smack back at him but it wouldn’t get through. He was too ice cold on the court.

Nearly every fan base in the league likely has its own recollections of the future Hall of Famer coming into their arena, sinking a crucial bucket, and letting the crowd know about it.

To Pierce's credit, he doesn't just limit his verbal theatrics to the hardwood - he's also been known to take his talents to the ice rink on occasion.