Paul Pierce has some high praise for his former team. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Celtics legend Paul Pierce: 'Boston has the best starting five in the NBA'

By Erin Walsh | Last updated 6/27/20

Celtics legend Paul Pierce has some pretty questionable takes, and his latest opinion regarding Boston's current starting five is no exception to that.

The 42-year-old claims that the 2019-20 Celtics starting five is "the best in the NBA," according to NBC Sports Boston's Chris Forsberg, and that Boston poses the best threat to Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks.

Paul Pierce: “Boston poses the best threat [to Milwaukee in East], and not because I played for Boston. When you look at their roster, Jayson Tatum started playing like a superstar before the work stoppage and, in my opinion, Boston has the best starting 5 in the NBA."
— Chris Forsberg (@ChrisForsberg_) June 26, 2020

The Celtics, undoubtedly, are among the top contenders in the Eastern Conference this season. Boston is the only team in the league that three players averaging 20-plus points per game. Jayson Tatum leads the Celtics with 23.6 points per game, while Kemba Walker and Jaylen Brown average 21.2 and 20.4 points per game, respectively. Gordon Hayward isn't far behind that mark, either, as he's averaging 17.3 points per game.

While the bench scoring has been up-and-down this season, the Celtics will need players such as Enes Kanter, Romeo Langford, Brad Wanamaker and Marcus Smart to step up big-time if they want to have a chance of beating the Bucks this year.

This week, the NBA schedule released for the league's return at Walt Disney World next month, and Boston has great chances of taking the second-place slot away from Toronto, as the Raptors have a rather difficult schedule ahead.

Boston opens up play in Orlando on July 31 with a game against the Bucks, so we'll surely see what they're truly made of next month. If they end up winning the NBA title this season, it'll be the first time since the 2007-08 season.

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