On Monday, Washington Wizards veteran Paul Pierce was the subject of an article by ESPN's Jackie MacMullan in which, among other things, he took shots at his former Brooklyn Nets teammates.
One of those other things was breaking down the Eastern Conference this season, and in the process of trying to make a point about the East not having a definitive favorite, Pierce suggested the Toronto Raptors - who the Wizards now face in round one - don't have "it."
What "it" means is unclear, but it's likely Pierce means championship DNA - you know, the kind of thing LeBron James says Kendrick Perkins has.
Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri for one doesn't know what Pierce means, however, and he used media availability Thursday to utilize the playoff pulpit he did one year ago.
"I've been trying to figure that out," Ujiri told reporters. "I honestly don't have enough money to respond to him. I think if I did have enough money, like, everybody knows exactly how I would respond to it and how the whole of Toronto would respond to it."
Ujiri is referencing last year's fine by the NBA for his infamous "Fuck Brooklyn" remark to a crowd full of Raptors fans outside the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. It was a reference to a Nets team that featured Pierce - and one that ended up defeating the Raps in seven games.
