What did Paul Pierce say about South Sudan before the Team USA game?

Team USA narrowly avoided a historic embarrassment as they continued their Olympic Games preparations against South Sudan on Saturday. At one point South Sudan ran up a 15-point lead but the USA fought back to secure a 101-100 victory.

Few expected much of South Sudan ahead of tipoff, including former NBA star Paul Pierce. The ten-time NBA All-Star appeared as a pundit on FS1′s Undisputed show and dismissed their hopes of pulling off a shock against the US.

“Man, they probably haven’t got anyone over six-three,” Pierce joked, forgetting the fact the NBA’s tallest-ever player (Manute Bol) is Sudanese. “Now we’ve got South Sudan, they should’ve just put Lithuania in.”

At one point Pierce asked co-star Skip Bayless whether he thought South Sudan would be within 30 points of the US at the final whistle. He replied: “Honestly, I wouldn’t take 35 and a half.”

Paul Pierce forced to eat words after South Sudan performance

Just days later, Paul Pierce knew a little more about South Sudan. The East African nation had never previously entered a team at the Olympics and only became an independent nation in 2011. However they boast young talents like Khaman Maluach, who is set to join Duke University in the upcoming academic year.

After the game Paul Pierce made reference to his earlier remarks with the now-famous Shaquille O’Neal quote.

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So were the US bad or were the South Sudanese particularly good? In this instance, both are probably true. Team USA struggled during a spell in the second quarter and failed to click as a team. However South Sudan were good value for their lead, sinking a series of three-pointers and playing with real fight within the paint.

“We did not focus enough on what they’re capable of, and that’s on me. I think that really allowed South Sudan to gain confidence early,” head coach Steve Kerr said after the game. “They were great. They played a wonderful game and the ending was good for us, just to feel that, to feel what it’s going to be like in Paris and Lille.”