JR Smith Paul Pierce on New York Knicks vs. Brooklyn Nets Rivalry: Former Celtic is 'Bitter'
JR Smith has fired back at Paul Pierce after the new Brooklyn Net said it was Brooklyn's time to "start running the city."
In a recent interview with ESPNNY, the New York Knicks guard said that Pierce is "a bitter person just getting out of Boston."
"He doesn't really know what New York is all about. He's been playing in Boston his whole career. ... He just knows, just know that his words have consequences and he's going to have to pay for them," Smith said.
In a different interview during a question-and-answer session with kid golfers at Chelsea Piers, Smith said he's pretty sure that the Knicks will win an NBA title this season, The New York Post noted.
"I'm 100-percent sure,'' Smith said
When asked why he joined the Knicks instead of the Nets when he came back in February 2012 from playing overseas in China, Smith said because "they [Nets] weren't good."
"Now they're still not good," Smith added.
Smith isn't the only Knicks talking about New York's rivalry with Brooklyn. In an interview with Newsday, Raymond Felton said the Knicks will always be New York's team.
"Paul Pierce said the Nets are gonna take over the city," Felton said. "It's hard for you to take over the city when we've got 'New York' on our chest and you've got 'Brooklyn' on yours. It's been this way since long before he started playing."
Pierce told New York radio station 98.7, that the rivalry between New York and Brooklyn has "grown."
"Everybody knows how much I dislike the Knicks as a Celtic but it's grown to a whole nother level. Now, it's like crosstown, over the bridge, this is the rivalry. This is really the rivalry. ... I think it's time for the Nets," Pierce said.
