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WALTHAM, Mass. – We have seen 513 days fall off of the calendar since the Celtics traded Paul Pierce to the Brooklyn Nets. Still, the love affair between he, the organization and the city of Boston remains as strong as ever.
All three parties have recognized the significance of Pierce’s return to Boston this weekend. He will play as a visitor at TD Garden for the third time when his Washington Wizards take on the Celtics on Sunday afternoon.
Although Pierce visited the Garden twice last season, emotions continue run high when he returns to his home away from home. He made those feelings known when he tweeted this video out late Friday morning.
“Man, I miss Boston,” he says to open up the video. “I love the people here, and they love me back.”
That statement is the purest form of truth. This is true sports love, and it was on full display on Jan. 26 of last season.
That date was the first in which Pierce entered TD Garden as a visitor. The Celtics played a ‘thank you’ video for Pierce during the first quarter, prompting fans to shower their former captain with cheers and cries. It was a strange and emotional moment, one that even Pierce’s opposing coach will never forget.
“For the season that we had, which was very frustrating when you win as little as we did, there were a lot of great, great moments,” Brad Stevens said on Saturday. “Many of those moments were because of how our fans reacted to things. The reception that they gave both Paul and [Kevin Garnett] and Doc (Rivers) were really great.”
That Jan. 26 night was just one instance in which Stevens felt the emotional ties between Pierce and his former city. The second-year head coach has also learned through many conversations that Pierce made a positive impact on everyone he touched during his time in Boston.
“One of the great things about Paul Pierce, from what I can tell … is the way everyone talks about him,” Stevens said. “People in this facility that don’t coach, whether it’s administration or the front office or travel or athletic training or strength and conditioning, everybody loves him. Everybody really thought highly of him. That’s a great legacy to leave on a place.”
It's difficult not to love a guy who left such a legacy here in Boston, even if you barely know him. Stevens has learned that lesson first hand. He has only met Pierce once, and very briefly, yet he still finds himself rooting for the former Celtic from afar.
“I’m very happy for him to be on the team he’s on,” Stevens commented with utmost sincerity. “He’s fitting in well with that team.”
Pierce will enter Sunday’s action with averages 12.5 points per game and 4.9 rebounds per game. More importantly, at least for Pierce, he is yet again a member of a title contender. Washington currently owns the second-best record in the Eastern Conference and seems primed to make a playoff run this season.
Title contenders want to take down their opponent, no matter who that opponent may be. There’s no doubt that Pierce and his Wizards will seek to end his former team's two-game winning streak on Sunday. That friendly competition, however, will not take away from the love affair that exists between Pierce, the Celtics, and the city of Boston.
He loves the people here, and they love him back, regardless of the jersey he may be wearing.