Paul Pierce may not be the biggest fan of LeBron James, but the Boston Celtics legend couldn't deny the greatness the Los Angeles Lakers star showed against the Atlanta Hawks.

On his 38th birthday on Friday, James exploded for 47 points on top of 10 rebounds and nine assists to help propel the Lakers to the 130-121 win. He made a couple of history in the process, including joining Michael Jordan as the only players 38 years old or older to record a 45-10-5 game. LeBron is also only the third player that's 38 years old or older to record 47 or more points in a game, becoming part of a club with Jordan and Jamal Crawford.

Several former and current NBA players were in awe of LeBron's insane feat, with the likes of Magic Johnson, Donovan Mitchell and more taking to Twitter to heap praise on him. Pierce, for his part, also chimed in and shared how amazed he is for what James has done at age 38.

“LB defying Father Time,” Pierce said before using the hashtag #Goatshit.

LeBron James certainly couldn't have chosen a better time to explode and make a statement. Had they lost and he failed to step up, it's certain he would have been on the receiving end of “washed” criticisms once again. But right on his birthday, he showed everyone that he still has plenty of gas left in his tank.

While many has criticized LeBron over the years–including Pierce–it's just impossible to ignore ad not to appreciate his greatness at all.