# Paul Pierce vs Dirk Nowitzki. Who is better?



## 24-7 (Feb 4, 2004)

Or who has a bigger ego?
Who is the better player?
Who was least deserving of an All Star birth?

Here is an article about Dirk making the All Star team.
(The impression the writer got from Dirk's too bad quote was the exact same impression I got when I read the orginal article at Dallasnews.com.)

http://www.dallasbasketball.com/headline_C.asp?pr=


Here is one about Pierce making the All Star team
(He thinks he is having a great year even though his team is losing and losing and he is a big part of that. I would love to know who he thinks is undeserving of this All Star nod that he feels he is so deserving of)

http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2004/02/04/pierces_talent_shines_through/


Which player is better?


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## MavsPoke (Jan 21, 2004)

Noooooooooooooooo. Not this thread. I hate this one. I've seen it on many boards many times. And the only conclusion I can come to is that it is a wash. These two have completely different playing styles. They have completly different amounts of talent around them. 

Bottom line. Both are superStar NBA players and the focal point of each franchise. Both play hard and love to win. 

But Dirk gets the nod from me for one reason and one reason only....










I'm a Mavs fan.


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## jdg (Jun 13, 2003)

In my books Nowitzki gets the vote, but that is just cause of the style of player i like. Other coaches and people will like Pierce more. I think it's pretty equal, just a matter of preference.


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## Minstrel (Dec 31, 2002)

Close. I'd go with Pierce, but that's because I like his style of game better and I believe he's a better defensive player.


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## Petey (Aug 23, 2002)

I'm a fan of Dirk, but I am also a fan of Pierce. Dirk gets the nod from me as he isn't a Celtic. I'd love both on my team, or either. They are just so good at what they do.

-Petey


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## KIMCHI (Oct 16, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Minstrel</b>!
> Close. I'd go with Pierce, but that's because I like his style of game better and I believe he's a better defensive player.


i love both players' game, but a player like dirk is just too precious to pass up, you can always get a talented swingman like paul pierce, it comes in almost every draft, but a 7 footer who can handle the ball and shoot like a guard ?? not very often.
unless paul pierce is air jordan good or better otherwise you always go with a super talented big man over a super talented small man.


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## patticus (Jan 4, 2004)

agreed, i'd almost take mike finley over pierce... i definitely would have if finley had his own team when he was younger


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## LegoHat (Jan 14, 2004)

Nowitzki is the better player, period.


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## VinceCarter15 (Oct 21, 2003)

Well this is a VERY VERY tough topic to come up with the PERFECT solution for...They are both certainly All Star game deserving but which is BETTER...Well im gonna go with Dirk...IMO..I think he is perfect in really every aspect of the game and he can put the ball in the hoop when he needs too


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## Bad Bartons (Aug 23, 2002)

Both are great.

It is hard to say who is better. Paul has never had the kind of talent around him that Dirk has. If Dirk were on this years Celtics instead of Paul I think his rebounding stats would be huge. If Paul had Nash setting up plays for him and all that other talent taking the pressure off him he would get far fewer turnovers and shoot a much higher percentage.

I am a Celtic fan so I will give Pierce the nod...but it is a very close race.


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## Richie Rich (May 23, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>patticus</b>!
> agreed, i'd almost take mike finley over pierce... i definitely would have if finley had his own team when he was younger








FInley over Pierce, no. I am a C's fan and I obviously would be expected to just say PIERCE, but Nowitzki and Pierce are very different players and really cannot be compared, the only similarity is they are superstars and w/o each on their respective team their teams would be missing aLOT.


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## Vinsanity (May 28, 2002)

Nowitzki is better


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## PC Load Letter (Jun 29, 2002)

I go with Pierce, simply because at the end of a game, he's a guy who can have the ball in his hands and make something happen. Dirk can create his own shot at times but a lot of his points come off passes. He's not nearly as dangerous one-on-one as Pierce. It's kinda hard to compare two different positions, though. But I guess the bottom line is, if I were starting a team, I'd take Pierce over Nowitzki.

As far as who deserves the all-star nod more or less, neither deserves it this year. Lebron should have made it over Pierce in the Easy and Zach Randolph should have made it over Dirk in the West.


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## mavsman (Jun 11, 2003)

I don't think there is GM in all of basketball that would not trade
Pierce for Nowitzki if they had the chance.

Pierce is a great player but Nowitzki is a 7 ft star.


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## antibody (Apr 4, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>mavsman</b>!
> I don't think there is GM in all of basketball that would not trade
> Pierce for Nowitzki if they had the chance.
> Pierce is a great player but Nowitzki is a 7 ft star.


You are seriously misguided then. Pierce would be more valuable than Dirk to numerous teams. Both are very good players but I would give the nod to Pierce. I agree with PC Load Letter. Pierce can create more off the dribble in late situations and he can play better defense than Dirk. Plus, LeBron and Zach should be in before Pierce and Dirk.


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## PauloCatarino (May 31, 2003)

Tough one.

Pierce is more versatile and the better defender.
But the thought of a 7footer who can score from any place in the court is simply irresistable.

Dirk.


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## panthera_pardus (Dec 29, 2003)

Well...hard to compare because they play at different positions. Pierce is a versatile guard who could plays SF, if he needed to. He can score, rebound, and dish out assists...Nowitzki is a seven footer that can shoot the 3 better than 80% of the guards in the league. He has decent footwork. I believe the answer depends on what the certain team needs...In a team where the defense is already strong(i.e. having Wallace(s) or artest) adding Nowitzki wouldn´t affect the overall opp ppg...Pierce would be my choice because he can do pretty much everything, including being VERY clutch...Nowitzki looses out in my opinion because of his defensive weakness. Most teams, especially in the west, can not afford to have a defensive weakness when it comes to big men because opposition teams have players like KG, Duncan, B.Miller, Shaq, Brand, Randolph, etc who will make you pay...I guess Nowitzki is mroe suited to play in the east where he could keep on shooting 3s and get +25ppg...


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## Mattsanity (Jun 8, 2003)

Paul Pierce, because he's already proven he can lead a team, while Dirk hasn't yet, although he probably has the capability to if his team didn't have so much depth.


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## Minstrel (Dec 31, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>KIMCHI</b>!
> 
> 
> i love both players' game, but a player like dirk is just too precious to pass up, you can always get a talented swingman like paul pierce, it comes in almost every draft, but a 7 footer who can handle the ball and shoot like a guard ?? not very often.
> unless paul pierce is air jordan good or better otherwise you always go with a super talented big man over a super talented small man.


The problem is that Nowitzki gives up a lot of his "big man" advantages by playing on the perimeter. He's not a dominant defender inside. He's not a dominant offensive force inside.

Kevin Garnett is an example of a guy who has all the big man advantages *and* can handle and shoot (somewhat) like a guard. If you were comparing KG to Pierce, I would select KG without a moment's pause.


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## merc_cuban (Jan 18, 2004)

> Originally posted by <b>panthera_pardus</b>!
> Well...hard to compare because they play at different positions. Pierce is a versatile guard who could plays SF, if he needed to. He can score, rebound, and dish out assists...Nowitzki is a seven footer that can shoot the 3 better than 80% of the guards in the league. He has decent footwork. I believe the answer depends on what the certain team needs...In a team where the defense is already strong(i.e. having Wallace(s) or artest) adding Nowitzki wouldn´t affect the overall opp ppg...Pierce would be my choice because he can do pretty much everything, including being VERY clutch...Nowitzki looses out in my opinion because of his defensive weakness. Most teams, especially in the west, can not afford to have a defensive weakness when it comes to big men because opposition teams have players like KG, Duncan, B.Miller, Shaq, Brand, Randolph, etc who will make you pay...I guess Nowitzki is mroe suited to play in the east where he could keep on shooting 3s and get +25ppg...


and what pfs in the west can guard dirk again?


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## merc_cuban (Jan 18, 2004)

> Originally posted by <b>Minstrel</b>!
> 
> 
> The problem is that Nowitzki gives up a lot of his "big man" advantages by playing on the perimeter. He's not a dominant defender inside. He's not a dominant offensive force inside.
> ...


lol you're a known mavs hater u must have forgot bout kg getting abused by dirk 2 years ago. kg aint kirilenko. he has trouble defending perimeter players


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## MAS RipCity (Feb 22, 2003)

Pierce is better,not even a question for me.:yes:


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## merc_cuban (Jan 18, 2004)

> Originally posted by <b>Mattsanity</b>!
> Paul Pierce, because he's already proven he can lead a team, while Dirk hasn't yet, although he probably has the capability to if his team didn't have so much depth.


piece's team has struggled to make the ECF while dirk led his team there last year. imean it's not like walker was an allstar as celt or something


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## Minstrel (Dec 31, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>merc_cuban</b>!
> 
> 
> lol you're a known mavs hater


You term anyone who disagrees with you a "Mavs hater." Just because you're unable to argue your position in your blind Mavericks' adoration doesn't make me a "hater."

Personally, I couldn't care less about the Mavericks. They've never been an issue in my mind, for good or for ill. They'll have to actually accomplish something before anyone, outside of Mavericks fans, cares much about them.


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## KIMCHI (Oct 16, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Minstrel</b>!
> 
> 
> The problem is that Nowitzki gives up a lot of his "big man" advantages by playing on the perimeter. He's not a dominant defender inside. He's not a dominant offensive force inside.
> ...


yes yes you are right my man, but thats not my point, individual skill-wise, paul pierce is better overall but taken into consideration that dirk is a 7 footer with guard skills and this kind of package is a lot harder to come by than a package like paul pierce, dirk has a lot to offer than lost base on versatility and skill stand point of view.

now if paul pierce is 4 inches taller and still retain whatever skills
he has right now, then definately i will take him without a moment of pause.


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## MavsPoke (Jan 21, 2004)

> Originally posted by <b>Minstrel</b>!
> 
> 
> You term anyone who disagrees with you a "Mavs hater." Just because you're unable to argue your position in your blind Mavericks' adoration doesn't make me a "hater."
> ...


Wow! I can't believe you're a moderator on this board with that kind of attitude. So I guess you feel the same way about Minny, Houston, the Kings, Portland, and pretty much the rest of the league besides SA and LA. Because those are the only two teams who haven't "accomplished" more than the Mavs, based on current rosters/coaches. 

You said that for anyone to care about the Mavs outside of Mavs fans that the Mavs would actually have to accomplish something. So name me some teams who have accomplished more than the Mavs in the last three years besides SA and LA so I can start caring about them. I didn't know I was wasting my time being a fan of the Sonics and the Bucks and the Mavs. 

I didn't know that people around the country only cared about teams that are more "accomplished" than the Mavs. That seems like a pretty short list as of right now.


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## Minstrel (Dec 31, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>MavsPoke</b>!
> 
> 
> Wow! I can't believe you're a moderator on this board with that kind of attitude.


You can't believe a moderator could be uninterested in a team? Fascinating.



> So I guess you feel the same way about Minny, Houston, the Kings, Portland, and pretty much the rest of the league besides SA and LA.


I care about Portland, because they're my favourite team. Outside of Portland, I can't say I have much emotion for any of those teams, no.



> I didn't know I was wasting my time being a fan of the Sonics and the Bucks and the Mavs.


I didn't say you were wasting your time. You're inventing all sorts of random things to argue.

I said *I* didn't hate the Mavericks and actually don't care one way or the other about them. I widened that to a general principle that it's generally teams that have won titles that engender hatred or love *from non-fans*.

Agree or disagree, that's a pretty common sentiment. Championship teams draw the haters and the fans from other teams. Teams that haven't accomplished anything generally only draw emotion from their own fans.


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## FlyingTiger (Aug 4, 2002)

Dirk, best euro player ever!! and top 5 in my eyes..PP is great but hes 5 inches shorter. i think PP already top out. Dirks 25 and still learning.


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## VincentVega (Oct 12, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>FlyingTiger</b>!
> Dirks 25 and still learning.


Paul Pierce is 26 and still learning. My vote goes with him. Dirk's a stud, but he's essentially a big guard who rarely mixes it up inside. Sure, Dirk creates matchup problems, but overall I think Pierce's versatility, intensity, defense and clutch play make him the better player.


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## Nevus (Jun 3, 2003)

I'd rather have Paul Pierce.


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## MAS RipCity (Feb 22, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>FlyingTiger</b>!
> Dirk, best euro player ever!! and top 5 in my eyes..PP is great but hes 5 inches shorter. i think PP already top out. Dirks 25 and still learning.


WHOA..WHOA..WHOA HAAS...talk to Arvydas Sabonis in the 80's before you say Dirk in the best euro ever.


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## mavsman (Jun 11, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Mattsanity</b>!
> Paul Pierce, because he's already proven he can lead a team, while Dirk hasn't yet, although he probably has the capability to if his team didn't have so much depth.


Thats right, I forgot about all the championship rings Pierce has.

What exactly has he lead his team to?


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## mavsman (Jun 11, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>VincentVega</b>!
> 
> 
> Paul Pierce is 26 and still learning. My vote goes with him. Dirk's a stud, but he's essentially a big guard who rarely mixes it up inside. Sure, Dirk creates matchup problems, but overall I think Pierce's versatility, intensity, defense and clutch play make him the better player.


Pierce is older than Dirk by 9 months. Do some research before
you make a statement like this. There is not one year where
Dirk has not made an improvement in some part of his game.

And that includes this year when his passing has improved
significantly.

The biggest reason Pierce puts up the type of numbers he does
is because he is basically the only option there on a mediocre
team.


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## AL9045 (Nov 27, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>mavsman</b>!
> 
> 
> Pierce is older than Dirk by 9 months. Do some research before
> ...


I think the reason that poster brought up the age, was the guy before him said "Dirks 25 and still learning." He was just trying to point out that 26 and 25 aren't that much difference.

Just wanted to point that out.


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## twolvesguy (Jan 16, 2004)

> Originally posted by <b>merc_cuban</b>!
> 
> 
> lol you're a known mavs hater u must have forgot bout kg getting abused by dirk 2 years ago. kg aint kirilenko. he has trouble defending perimeter players


2 years ago??? :uhoh: 

I'm continually amazed how some fans can make talent judgements on a single game or a single series. 

Kirilenko is a great defender, but KG is still the better defender.

BTW: I'd easily take Dirk over Pierce.


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## merc_cuban (Jan 18, 2004)

dirk averaged like 33 and 13 against kg last year. I think he's only played one game against kg this year.

40 points for dirk tonight. Big ben looked stupid all night


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## compsciguy78 (Dec 16, 2002)

Diggler


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## Kunlun (Jun 22, 2003)

I would have to go with Dirk here. He is much taller with a better shot and he can rebound better. He is also developing a post game and his passing is improving greatly.


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## VincentVega (Oct 12, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>mavsman</b>!
> 
> 
> Pierce is older than Dirk by 9 months. Do some research before
> ...


Reading is fundamental.


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## walkon4 (Mar 28, 2003)

dirk can't play defense.


dirk also dissapointed me when he sat out in the playoffs.
He didn't even give playing a try. what a joke.


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## ChowYunSkinny (Aug 28, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>TheTruth34</b>!
> dirk can't play defense.
> 
> 
> ...


dirk sprained his knee against san antonio...i think he would have tried if he could...i dont think anyone should question his heart...i remember him having his teeth busted out in the playoffs versus utah & rushing to the locker room with his hand over his mouth & then coming back into the game afterwards...


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## merc_cuban (Jan 18, 2004)

> Originally posted by <b>ChowYunSkinny</b>!
> 
> 
> dirk sprained his knee against san antonio...i think he would have tried if he could...i dont think anyone should question his heart...i remember him having his teeth busted out in the playoffs versus utah & rushing to the locker room with his hand over his mouth & then coming back into the game afterwards...


that was against the spurs. He then came back and scored 42 points and grabbed 18 boards that game. He played the entire year last year with bone spurs in both ankles that needed surgery but he put it off til after the season.


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## reHEATed (Jun 29, 2003)

Paul Pierce...he is imo the player u want on your team most in clutch time.....is better in all aspects of the game than Dirk


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## RP McMurphy (Jul 17, 2003)

Unfortunately there won't be any clutch time this year for the Celtics because they are not going to make the playoffs. Dirk wins this one by a country mile.

The Celtics are having a horrible year and much of the blame has to be laid on their "superstar" for refusing to change his style of play to suit his new teammates. They tried to run and Pierce refused, he would jog up the court and kill the Celtics fastbreaks because his teammates had to wait for him. The reason he has a reputation as "clutch" is that he often tries to take the team on his back. At times he has succeeded in crucial situations, but this year more often than not, when he tried to take all the big shots or create by dribbling through triple teams, he has failed.

By comparison, Dirk does everything asked of him, including playing out-of-position at center at times. He can't play defense, but I think that's just because he doesn't have the physical talent or build to guard NBA big guys, it's not that he doesn't try. And he is much less selfish a player than Pierce.


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## Mattsanity (Jun 8, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>mavsman</b>!
> 
> 
> Thats right, I forgot about all the championship rings Pierce has.
> ...


Eastern Conference Finals?


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