Pierce likens Durant joining Warriors to kid befriending bully

Boston Celtics icon Paul Pierce had an interesting take on Kevin Durant's much-maligned decision to join the Golden State Warriors last offseason.

Durant - whose Oklahoma City Thunder were eliminated by the Warriors in last year's Western Conference finals - has been under the microscope ever since making his controversial decision to swap jerseys.

Pierce compared Durant's departure to a kid "who gets beat up by the bully's gang" proceeding to join the bully's gang to avoid further physical harm.

"That's just not me. I want to fight. I'm gonna stand up for myself," Pierce said Tuesday on ESPN's The Jump.

It's an opinion that some have agreed with, including Doc Rivers - his former coach on both the Celtics and Los Angeles Clippers. The 19-year NBA veteran rooted his stance in the "competitive nature of where (he came) from and the era (he) grew up in."

Pierce was born in Oakland, Calif., in 1977 and attended Inglewood High School before going to Kansas in 1995.

Though some players toe the line between perceived and actual tough guy, Pierce may fall into the latter category.

Back in a 2008 playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks, Pierce was fined $25,000 for making a "menacing gesture" that was interpreted as an infamous L.A. gang sign.

The Warriors, however, seem to occupy a fair amount of space in Pierce's head. Most recently, he and Warriors power forward Draymond Green got into a spirited exchange with Green calling out Pierce for "chasing that farewell tour."

After the in-game spat back in February, Pierce took to Twitter, laughing at Golden State for blowing last year's 3-1 Finals lead.