Mike Vaccaro

Mike Vaccaro

NBA

Pierce, Garnett revisit their ideal destination

MIAMI — Well, this ought to be fun.

This ought to be fraught with passion, with energy, with mutual respect and, yes, make no mistake, with more than a little mutual contempt. The Nets seek what the Heat have, which only makes the story perfectly symmetrical because, once upon a time, it was the Heat that sought what the Celtics had.

At a time when taking what belonged to the Celtics meant taking what belonged to Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen.

All three of them will be a part of the proceedings across the next two weeks. Allen was the first to bail on Boston, earning the wrath of Garnett by seeking asylum in South Beach, then delivering the single most important basket of the NBA season last year, the 3 that saved Miami in Game 6 of the finals and kept them breathing. He remains a reserve, a supporting star to the game’s present Big Three of LeBron James/Dwyane Wade/Chris Bosh, who seamlessly supplanted Garnett/Pierce/Allen as the game’s most trumpeted trinity.

Garnett and Pierce followed when it was clear Danny Ainge was blowing up the old Boston blueprint, investing in tomorrow, and both wanted another chance to renew acquaintances with James — whose era in Cleveland ended at their hand with an underwhelming thud in the 2010 playoffs, and whose own postseason legend was hatched at their expense two years later, a forever 45-point Game 6 stand that is still his signature game.

So they remain starters, yes, introduced to great fanfare every night in Brooklyn, and on any given night, in any given game, one of them can join Deron Williams and Joe Johnson as the third part of the Nets’ version of the Big Three. On any given night, in any given game, either or both can look past their expiration date, too; it just isn’t likely to be that way here, now, in this series, against that team, considering these stakes.

Paul Pierce (left) and LeBron James are set to battle in the playoffs again.Charles Wenzelberg

Pierce famously squealed at the end of Game 1 in Toronto: “THAT’S why they brought me here!” after making a gaggle of critical shots late. But THIS is why he wanted to come here, come to Brooklyn, even after a first few months when he seemed more homesick than a green recruit at boot camp. This is why: So he and his old wingman, Garnett, could take another shot at the Heat.

Forget the simple non-comment comments that followed Game 7 Sunday Toronto and preceded Game 1 Tuesday in Miami: These remain confident alpha dogs who believe — who know — that the Nets deserve their spot on the floor at American Airlines Arena, despite the up-and-down season, despite barely escaping Ontario while the Heat were twiddling their thumbs following a first-round sweep of the Bobcats.

It isn’t just that the Nets won all four of the regular-season games they played with Miami either; three of them were decided by a point, the other went double overtime. The difference between 4-0, 0-4 and 2-2 is a hiccup here, a twitch there.

No, the Nets have survived on their ego this year, in even the season’s darkest hours. That may sound like a tweak but is actually a high compliment: When nobody else believed, THEY believed.

When few thought this team capable of being championship timbre THEY thought they were, even at 10-21, even trailing 3-2 to the Raptors.

Brooklyn Nets’ Joe Johnson dribbles the ball against the Toronto Raptors during Game Six at Barclays Center on May 2.NBAE via Getty Images

And it is that ego that will carry them now, even if the Heat are well rested, even as they refused to throw Charlotte even one bone in round one, even with nine straight playoff series wins in their knapsacks. None of that matters to the Nets, who know only one thing: It’s the first to four that wins the series, and the Heat don’t get any extras just for being the Heat.

This is what they wanted, all of them, this series, this chance, this opportunity. Williams wanted a contender to re-sign, and Billy King got him Johnson as a building block. Johnson wanted a place where, unlike basketball backwater Atlanta, his clutch gene could be appreciated.

Pierce and Garnett? Theirs was a more specific need: to get after the Heat one more time, to get one more chance to take back what was taken from them.

“I thought when we played them in Boston,” Wade said Monday, “we buried them.”

Not quite. Not yet. You bet they wanted this series, against this team, at this point in their careers. One more time to settle some old scores.

Yeah.

Seven o’clock can’t come fast enough.