Paul Pierce has claimed that the "unpredictable" Brooklyn Nets have what it takes to upset the Miami Heat in the second round of the NBA playoffs.

Despite being the underdogs heading into the opening game of the series on Tuesday night, Pierce believes that any of the Brooklyn players can step up to deliver a game-winning performance.

"I think we are unpredictable," the 36-year-old told reporters. "For the simple fact that even though Joe [Johnson], he's our leading scorer, but on any given night we've got guys that can step up and be that guy.

"A lot of the contenders, you pretty much know what they present.

"Especially with Miami. It's going to be a lot of LeBron [James], a lot of [Dwyane] Wade, a lot of [Chris] Bosh."

The Nets reached the Eastern Conference semi-finals by beating the Toronto Raptors in game seven of their first-round series on Sunday.