Bradley Beal talks playing with Paul Pierce and his favorite playoff memory

On the “All The Smoke” podcast with former NBA players Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, Wizards star Bradley Beal revealed his favorite playoff memory — the Washington vs. Boston series in 2017 and discussed what it was like playing against and alongside Paul Pierce.

Matt Barnes asked Beal if he had any favorite playoff memories up until this point around the 1:000:05 mark in the video above. The shooting guard responded by saying “the whole Boston series”, referring to his team’s 2017 run. “We need to call NBATV today and just tell them to play that whole damn series”, Beal continued.

He mentioned when Isaiah Thomas was on the team before getting traded, they used to talk about that series often. Beal recalled how Thomas, who was on the Celtics team at the time, scored 53 points in Game 2, which was right after his sister Chyna Thomas died in a tragic car accident.

Thomas scored 29 of his 53 points in the fourth quarter and overtime which led Boston to a 2-0 lead over the Wizards.

Beal also talked about the differences between having Paul Pierce as and opponent and as a teammate. Beal recalled first time he played against Pierce which was when he played for the Nets. “I thought Paul was the most arrogant, a****** I’ve ever witnessed play the game of basketball,” he said. Beal mentioned Pierce’s trash-talking during games. Beal also noted how good it felt to dunk on him.

When Pierce signed with the Wizards in 2014, Beal got a chance to really experience and appreciate Pierce. Beal mentioned how Pierce, who was drafted in 1998, still had his routine and was the first player in and out of the gym every day.

Jonathan Newton / The Washington Post via Getty Images

“He was the most amazing teammate, the best dude,” said Beal.