While most of the old NBA guard wants to see the league revert to the era they played in, Paul Pierce is calling for innovation that nobody asked for.
On a recent episode of his No Fouls Given podcast, Pierce griped about there being too many threes attempted in the modern NBA. Pierce isn’t alone. The influx of three-point attempts in recent years has been a mounting complaint from detractors and even fans of the league. Pierce didn’t go as far as Shaquille O’Neal did in blaming Steph Curry for making the NBA boring, but he still thinks something needs to be done. And he has the solution.
Paul Pierce says the NBA should change the three point line to a LED line that just comes and goes
“Like you can turn it off, turn it back on in certain times of the game. Like, if you are down ten with three minutes in the 4th. It’s just ridiculous how I have watched games, it… pic.twitter.com/G1YVZHFfUk
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“This is what I honestly think they should do with the three-point line. I think the three-point line should be an LED line that just comes and goes,” Pierce said.
At first, you may have just assumed Pierce was talking about the glowing three-point line ESPN tried about a decade ago. But then you notice he said, “comes and goes,” and start to realize Pierce is talking about something much more drastic than a glowing three-point line.
“Like you can turn it off, turn it back on in certain times of the game. Like, if you are down ten with three minutes in the fourth…It’s just ridiculous how I have watched games where the next three minutes were all threes. Like, you get 48 minutes a game, the three-point line should be on like 30 minutes,” Pierce suggested. “Then we going to see who got game, then you going to have to get buckets now. You ain’t going to be just launching. You going to have to get money.”
When Pierce suggests three-point reform for the NBA, ears are going to perk. Shaq famously accused Steph Curry of making the NBA boring. Bob Costas previously claimed that the increased number of three-point attempts might be making for a displeasing TV viewing experience. Bob Ryan, Bomani Jones, and Nick Wright have also aired their grievances with the NBA’s modern style of chucking as many threes as possible. Credit Pierce for trying, but this proposed gimmick probably isn’t the solution.
Yes, there are times when the inundation of three-point attempts becomes boring or annoying to watch. But the best part about the increased emphasis on three-pointers is the fact that no lead is safe in the NBA. A 20-point lead today is what a 10-point lead was in the ‘90s. And while switching the three-point shot off for 18 minutes a game will undoubtedly eliminate many field goal attempts from beyond the arc, it will also eliminate some of the bigger comebacks that have become a regular occurrence in recent seasons.