Paul Pierce Says Bam Adebayo Committed A "Dirty" Play On Jayson Tatum In Game 4

It was only a matter of time before former NBA player Paul Pierce chimed in on the Bam Adebayo-Jayson Tatum incident.

During Game 4 between the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics, Adebayo made a questionable move against Tatum. After a foul was called and play stopped, Adebayo attempted to block Tatum's shot. It resulted in Tatum rolling his ankle.

Adebayo was then given a Flagrant 1 foul for something that happened after the whistle. Pierce said it was a bad play.

"It was a dirty play to me," Pierce said on Fox Sports' Undisputed. "Do I think of Bam as a dirty player? No, I do not.

Paul Pierce weighs in on Bam Adebayo “flagrant foul” on Jayson Tatum in game 4

“I mean it was a dirty play to me”

“Do I think of Bam as a dirty player? No I do not.”

“You just can’t step under players. Players after the whistle always take that shot”

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Pierce further explained his reasoning. He viewed it as it could have injured Tatum for the remainder of the series.

"Because you can't step under players," Pierce said. "Players after the whistle always take that shot. Now whether you want to block it, usually they sit under the rim or somebody just grabs it out of the air. A lot of times players take that shot just to see a ball go in the hoop to get going."

He later added that Adebayo took it too far this time.

"It was no play going on," Pierce said. "The whistle was blown, play was dead. And then he knocks him down. It look bad, especially him holding his ankle. Usually players don't go up to a player and challenge it right there after the whistle. It's sort of like a free shot."