The most era-defining trade of the current NBA was made in 2013. The Boston Celtics, desperate to regain some of the magic of their 2008 title-winning team, attempted a rebuild. They sent Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, their two heroes, to Brooklyn, and received draft picks and role players.
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Those draft picks went on to become Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. Although they are title winners in their own right, fans didn’t know that at the time. They were just sad to see Pierce and Garnett, two players who personified what it meant to be a Celtic, leave. It didn’t help that they joined a direct rival in the Eastern Conference.
Amid the emotions running high from Klay Thompson’s return to the Bay Area, Pierce and Garnett recalled their mental state during their first game away to the Celtics in 2014.
Pierce, who was drafted by the Celtics, had never experienced returning to play a team that had so much love for him. He remembered being overcome by emotion and how it conflicted with his desires for the day. He joked about wanting to just soak in the applause, but the love he received threw him off his game.
More importantly, he clarified that it was never about revenge for him. He mentioned how some players returning to their old franchises have points to prove, but Pierce understood that the Celtics had to move on from his era. He harbored no ill will, and seeing how much the crowd cheered for him made him emotional.
“I was off it. For me, it was like so many emotions just bundling up to where it took over from like playing the game, actually. For real, it was just like damn, I just want to soak that in, just get the applause and chill, but then I have to play going through all that emotion? Because it wasn’t like revenge, it wasn’t that. For me and you, it was like damn you really see all the love and equity you built up from your time here.”
It was a momentous day when the Nets visited the Celtics on the 26th of January, 2014. The returning heroes, Pierce and Garnett, both got a heartfelt tribute from the fans, and had the joy of winning the game as well.
In a low-scoring regular season game, the Nets emerged victorious 85-79. Well past their primes, both Pierce and Garnett finished with 6 points. The Truth shot 2 of 10, and the Big Ticket shot 3 of 6, and both players were starters.
Paul Pierce’s complicated relationship with Boston
Despite being their hero for the better part of 2 decades, Pierce wasn’t always a huge fan of the Celtics. Growing up in Inglewood, he was brought up on Magic Johnson and the Lakers, so he was always trained to hate the Lucky Greens.
“I was an avid basketball fan. And growing up in Los Angeles, Inglewood, down the street from The Forum, I couldn’t stand the Celtics,” Pierce told ESPN in 2019. “I hated the Celtics so much. You understand the rivalry. I hated Larry Bird, I hated everything about the Celtics.”
Of course, his relationship with the team changed after being drafted by them. Pierce delivered his only championship for the Boston team while defeating the Lakers. A cruel, yet welcome twist of irony, and Pierce recognized it too. “It’s real ironic that I get drafted by the Celtics and play against the Lakers and win a championship against them,” Pierce said.
Despite his hatred for the franchise, Pierce matured and became one of their most beloved icons. Pierce would receive resounding welcomes whenever he played in Boston, even after being traded away. His last season in the NBA had one such heartfelt moment.
Over his entire career, Pierce was never scoreless when he took to the floor in Boston. His final game at the Garden was no different. Entering the game scoreless with his Clippers down 8, Pierce scored his last-ever points at TD Garden. He hit a clutch three-pointer. It was a fitting shot, considering he leads the Celtics all-time in threes made. Paul Pierce received a standing ovation from the home fans, in a different jersey, but a Celtic at heart.
