ESPN studio personality Paul Pierce -- notably, someone who spent 15 years with the Boston Celtics -- controversially claimed after Game 1 of the current playoff series between the Celtics and Bucks was "over" after Boston's 112-90 win.

He's not lowering his expectations for Boston even after the Bucks took a 2-1 lead in the series heading into Monday's Game 4 in Boston. TMZ posted footage of Pierce leaving a party Sunday and responding to a question about the Bucks-Celtics series, and he held firm by proclaiming the Celtics would still win in six games.

Here were Pierce's original comments last week when the Bucks delivered a clunker at Fiserv Forum to open the Eastern Conference semifinals.

"I think it's over," Pierce said. "It just seemed like Milwaukee was the way better team throughout the regular season, but when I watch this today...if Giannis doesn't have a monster game and somebody besides him doesn't step up, Boston is just going to out-talent (the Bucks)."

He actually doubled down before Game 2, going on NBA show "The Jump" on ESPN to back up his claim.

"They may win a game, maybe two, but I just look at the talent disparity on these ballclubs," he said. "It's easier to scout the Bucks than it is the Celtics. You know the driving force for the Bucks. Of course you know the Celtics have a driving force in Kyrie, but they have so many other guys who can step up."

Jackie MacMullen, another panelist on The Jump and a Boston Globe columnist and editor for a quarter century, took Pierce to task for the assertion.

"If I ever wrote after you were down 1-0 in a series that it was over, you would have me up against the grill," she said. "You would never stand for that, not for one minute. The unpredictability of the Celtics that you're talking about is their biggest strength and also their greatest weakness, because when they start missing shots, I've never seen a team handle that so poorly."

Then, Paul Pierce's mood after Milwaukee's Game 3 win in Boston on Friday:

But apparently Pierce is sticking by his old team for now. We'll see where he stands after Monday night.

JR Radcliffe can be reached at (262) 361-9141 or jradcliffe@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JRRadcliffe.