BOSTON —Paul Pierce has played thousands of basketball games in his career and hundreds of important ones, from NCAA Tournament games during his time at Kansas to going one-on-one against LeBron James in multiple seven-game playoff series to facing the Lakers twice in the NBA Finals.
But no game was harder for Pierce to prepare for, or play in, than Sunday night against the Celtics, a game in the middle of the regular season against one of the NBA’s worst teams.
“This was the toughest game I ever had to play,” Pierce said after the Nets claimed an 85-79 win in a game that will long be remembered for everything but the actual game itself. “Tougher than any championship game, or any Game 7. At the end of the day we had a game to play, but it was so hard to really focus.
“I’m happy we got it over with, and I can go back to playing basketball now.”
Sunday night’s festivities were about anything but basketball. Instead, the night was a chance to celebrate the time Pierce and Kevin Garnett — two players who will be remembered as legends in the history of the NBA’s most storied franchise — spent with the Celtics.
Pierce’s connection with the franchise runs as deep as any player in its illustrious annals, having spent his first 15 NBA seasons in Boston and helping to lead the team to its 2008 NBA title — its first in more than 20 years.
So it came as no surprise his tribute video, which came at the end of the first quarter and lasted through the entire break, had the attention of every one of the 18,624 fans in attendance, as well as every member of both teams and their coaching staffs. No one did anything but stare at the video board while the tribute played.
The video took fans on a journey through Pierce’s years in Boston, beginning with NBA commissioner David Stern announcing Pierce as the 10th overall pick in the 1998 draft, and even used a famous clip from the movie “A Few Good Men,” in which Jack Nicholson’s character says, “You can’t handle the truth!” — a nod to Pierce’s nickname, and one that got a laugh from him while he watched. It also showed many of Pierce’s memorable moments as a player as well as his work within the community.
“From on the court to off the court, just all the great moments that you can think of,” Pierce said. “That’s pretty much what the videos showed … you build so much, not only on the court, but in the community.
“I have relationships with organizations in the community I build, been able to change different lives, be an inspiration in this community. … I think that’s what matters to me most, the lives you change. The basketball is great, and understanding you’re a role model, and it made me think of being an inspiration in the community here.”
When the video finally ended, the camera panned first to the two open panels on the Celtics’ retired jersey banner in the rafters — where the numbers of Pierce and Garnett will undoubtedly go next — before shifting to the 2008 championship banner and finally to Pierce himself as he stood in front of the Nets’ bench.
Pierce then spent the next few minutes nodding, bowing twice, waving to the crowd and saying “Thank you,” repeatedly. Then, shortly before the game resumed, a bunch of cameras came in to catch Pierce’s reaction to the moment, and he turned to them and said, “Thank you. I love you guys. Thank you.”
It was a similar reception for Garnett when his tribute played during the second television timeout in the first quarter. Beginning with the announcement of his trade to Boston back in 2007, it went through his six years with the Celtics before ending with his shouting of “Anything’s possible!” after winning the 2008 title and Garnett screaming at the camera — which was the way the Celtics’ introduction video ended during his time with the team.
As with Pierce, the camera then panned to the two empty spaces on the retired jersey banner and the 2008 championship banner before focusing on Garnett, who cracked a smile and acknowledged the crowd, patting his heart several times.
“I had lumps in my throat, and I kept them under control,” Garnett said. “I focused as much as I could on the game, and not take away from it.
“But, man, this was over the top. I couldn’t put that into words.”
It was a lovefest right from the opening introductions, with Garnett introduced second-to-last and receiving a loud standing ovation, which caused even the usually stoic big man to wave to the crowd and salute and acknowledge the reception. Then Pierce, as he was for so many years here, was introduced last, though he quickly acknowledged the crowd before bringing his teammates in, presumably to avoid getting emotional.
Things continued that way the rest of the game, with both Garnett and Pierce being cheered whenever they did anything, right up until both were given one final standing ovation when first Garnett, and then Pierce, left the floor once the game ended.
“It was just a special thing for me,” Pierce said. “Through my bad times, through my immature times, through my growing up and becoming a man for this city, everybody stuck with me.
“I would just like to tell them thank you.”