Cross-era · careers 23 years apart

Paul Pierce vs Billy Cunningham

Paul Pierce 1998-2016 · Forward Billy Cunningham 1965-1975 · Forward

Paul Pierce (1998-2016) and Billy Cunningham (1965-1975) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 23 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Billy Cunningham was the higher-volume scorer (20.8 points per game to 19.7); adjusted for era they scored at 2.11× and 1.88× their league average respectively; Paul Pierce was the more efficient scorer (56.8% true shooting to 50.3%). Paul Pierce holds the edge on accolades — 1 championship, 1 Finals MVP and the #52 all-time ranking to Billy Cunningham's #64.

Career averages

Paul PierceStatBilly Cunningham
19.7 Points / game 20.8
5.6 Rebounds / game 10.2
3.5 Assists / game 4.0
1.3 Steals / game 0.2
0.5 Blocks / game 0.1
44.4% Field goal % 44.5%
36.8% 3-point % 0.0%
80.8% Free throw % 71.8%
56.8% True shooting % 50.3%
1,343 Games played 654

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Paul PierceStatBilly Cunningham
2.11× Points vs era avg 1.88×
1.37× Rebounds vs era avg 1.88×
1.68× Assists vs era avg 1.76×

Advanced metrics

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Billy Cunningham's era.

Paul PierceStatBilly Cunningham
104.7 Offensive rating —
101.7 Defensive rating —
3.1 Net rating —
0.2% Usage % —
0.1% Assist % —
0.1% Rebound % —

Playoff averages

Paul PierceStatBilly Cunningham
18.7 Points / game 19.4
5.8 Rebounds / game 9.1
3.4 Assists / game 3.2
1.2 Steals / game 0.0
0.6 Blocks / game 0.0
42.2% Field goal % 40.6%
35.1% 3-point % 0.0%
82.4% Free throw % 69.4%
170 Playoff games 39

Accolades

Paul PierceStatBilly Cunningham
0 MVP awards 0
1 Finals MVP 0
1 Championships 1
10 All-Star selections 4
0 All-NBA 1st Team 4
#52 All-time GOAT rank #64

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