Just a week ago, Quentin Richardson made his feelings toward Paul Pierce very clear.

“I don’t like them and they know it,” he said of Pierce and Kevin Garnett following their Game 1 altercation.

But on Tuesday, Richardson shared a different opinion after the Heat’s elimination in Game 5.

“Paul’s a great NBA player,” he told WEEI.com. “That’s the only opinion that really matters, his NBA game. He’s a good NBA player.”

Even though Richardson referred to Pierce as “an actress” in Game 1, he said he never knocked his talent. That’s something that, in spite of their differences on the court, Richardson cannot deny.

“I’ve always respected his game, never not,” he said. “I mean, he’s an All-Star, he’s a Finals MVP, he has his accolades, and he well deserves them. I take my hat off to him as a basketball player. Nothing will change that.”