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Tony Allen on how Paul Pierce used unorthodox ways to motivate him as a rookie

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In the NBA, the veteran players leading the action night in and night out need to find ways to get role players motivated over the course of the 82-game season, and Hall of Fame Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce knew just how to make that happen during Tony Allen‘s first season with the team in 2004-05: cash bounties for every dunk his rookie teammates flushed.

“He wanted to motivate his troops,” shared Allen to the Athletic’s David Aldridge. “He had a bounty, a lucrative $200 for every dunk. I instantly looked at him, being a fan for one. I took the initiative.”

“I thought, this is my application to starting. I took advantage,” shared Allen. “I got five dunks in a row.”

“At halftime, I said, ‘Have that thousand for me.’ And he came through. He gave me like $2,500,” shared the former Celtic defensive specialist. “Then he started working out in Chicago with Tim Grover.”

“He made me get up every morning, get to the gym. That was one of the things he instilled in me — if you want to be good in this game, you have to do the things behind the scenes.”

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