See Paul Pierce Tell Bill Simmons Golden State Choked on Any Given Wednesday

Paul Pierce gives his candid opinion on the outcome of the 2016 NBA Finals to Bill Simmons on a new edition of Any Given Wednesday.

Bill Simmons is, thankfully, not a member of the Hot Take Brigade that has taken over the sports opinion industry. You may not always agree with him, but when he says something on Any Given Wednesday, at least you can be sure he really means it.

Still, maybe what his HBO show could use to prop up its mediocre ratings is some more honest answers from guests that at least sound like hot takes. And according to the preview video the network has released of this week’s show, that’s exactly what we’re going to get from an NBA star who should know what he’s talking about.

Paul Pierce is still plying his trade on the hardwood despite first entering the NBA back in 1998. The Truth has a championship ring himself, even winning Finals MVP honors in 2008 when he led the Boston Celtics over the Los Angeles Lakers in six games, so his opinion is a little more informed than most.

And when Simmons asked him whether the Golden State Warriors choked away their 3-1 lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers earlier this year, Pierce tried to be diplomatic but eventually came with … what else, The Truth.

We’ll have to get the HBO Binge research intern to find out if Pierce is correct when he said none of his teams ever blew a 3-1 series lead.

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I’m pretty sure Simmons doesn’t want Any Given Wednesday to be known solely for sound bytes like this one, but they definitely can’t hurt. Even with Pierce and Jay Glazer as guests, the show is up against some stiff competition for sports fan eyeballs in its first run time slot tonight at 10 p.m.

However, Any Given Wednesday will repeat this episode five more time this week: on November 3 (12:30 p.m. and 12:35 a.m.), November 4 (9:00 a.m. and 2:40 a.m.) and November 6 (9:00 a.m.).