Cross-era · careers 16 years apart
Paul Pierce vs Dave Cowens
Paul Pierce (1998-2016) and Dave Cowens (1970-1982) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 16 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Paul Pierce was the higher-volume scorer (19.7 points per game to 17.6); adjusted for era they scored at 2.11× and 1.69× their league average respectively; Paul Pierce was the more efficient scorer (56.8% true shooting to 49.5%). Dave Cowens holds the edge on accolades — 1 MVP, 2 championships and the #51 all-time ranking to Paul Pierce's #52.
Career averages
| Paul Pierce | Stat | Dave Cowens |
|---|
| 19.7 |
Points / game |
17.6 |
| 5.6 |
Rebounds / game |
13.6 |
| 3.5 |
Assists / game |
3.8 |
| 1.3 |
Steals / game |
0.8 |
| 0.5 |
Blocks / game |
0.6 |
| 44.4% |
Field goal % |
45.9% |
| 36.8% |
3-point % |
0.7% |
| 80.8% |
Free throw % |
78.5% |
| 56.8% |
True shooting % |
49.5% |
| 1,343 |
Games played |
766 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Paul Pierce | Stat | Dave Cowens |
|---|
| 2.11× |
Points vs era avg |
1.69× |
| 1.37× |
Rebounds vs era avg |
2.82× |
| 1.68× |
Assists vs era avg |
1.63× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Dave Cowens's era.
| Paul Pierce | Stat | Dave Cowens |
|---|
| 104.7 |
Offensive rating |
— |
| 101.7 |
Defensive rating |
— |
| 3.1 |
Net rating |
— |
| 0.2% |
Usage % |
— |
| 0.1% |
Assist % |
— |
| 0.1% |
Rebound % |
— |
Playoff averages
| Paul Pierce | Stat | Dave Cowens |
|---|
| 18.7 |
Points / game |
18.9 |
| 5.8 |
Rebounds / game |
14.4 |
| 3.4 |
Assists / game |
3.7 |
| 1.2 |
Steals / game |
0.9 |
| 0.6 |
Blocks / game |
0.6 |
| 42.2% |
Field goal % |
45.3% |
| 35.1% |
3-point % |
0.0% |
| 82.4% |
Free throw % |
76.4% |
| 170 |
Playoff games |
89 |
Accolades
| Paul Pierce | Stat | Dave Cowens |
|---|
| 0 |
MVP awards |
1 |
| 1 |
Finals MVP |
0 |
| 1 |
Championships |
2 |
| 10 |
All-Star selections |
6 |
| 0 |
All-NBA 1st Team |
0 |
| #52 |
All-time GOAT rank |
#51 |