Paul Pierce loves to talk trash. When he was in Boston, it was no secret he had no love at all for the Knicks organization. The rivalry between the teams was fierce, even though admittedly, for the majority of his career, the Celtics always seemed to have the upper hand against New York. Now that Pierce is in New York himself, over the bridge in Brooklyn with the Nets, you had to expect those bad feelings would get even bigger. Hit the jump to see what he said now.

@IamJoeSports

Pierce was speaking frequently yesterday, here are some of his quotes:

“I think the hate [for the Knicks] has grown a little. Everybody knows how much I disliked the Knicks when I was with the Celtics, but I think it’s grown to another level,” Pierce said on ESPN NewYork 98.7 FM’s “The Michael Kay Show” on Thursday. “I think it’s time for the Nets to start running this city.”

“The only thing that separates the two teams is a bridge. And both of them are in the same division and both of them are considered contenders. You can’t help but say this is probably gonna be the best rivalry in sports next year.”

He is definitely right about the rivalry maybe being one of the best in the league next year. I personally think the Nets have to put in much more work for this to be a rivalry. You do not just move the team to a new city and automatically assume you have a rivalry. The Knicks will still be running New York for years to come, unless the Nets win a title, then they will have some power. Watch the video below.