Paul Pierce returned to Boston for the first time since being traded to the Brooklyn Nets with Kevin Garnett and Jason Terry this past offseason. It was the first time Pierce – drafted 10th overall by the Celtics in 1998 – had ever played at the TD Garden as a visiting player, and the Celtics and their fans greeted him with a thunderous standing ovation and a pretty great tribute video. The result was a pretty special moment before what Pierce called the hardest game he’s ever had to play.
Pierce’s Nets came out victorious in the homecoming, winning 85-79.
