Brooklyn Nets Paul Pierce Says He Never Wanted To Leave The Boston Celtics; Calls Game Against His Former Team The Toughest Game Of His Life

On Sunday, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett of the Brooklyn Nets visited their former team, Boston Celtics at the TD Garden. What was supposed to be just a simple reunion turned out to be a very special day for both Pierce and Garnett as they receive a tribute from the franchise they served for a huge chunk of their NBA careers.

Surely, Celtics fans want their team to demolish the visiting Nets. Still, they do not forget how much Pierce and Garnett have given to the franchise. The arena and the whole Boston Celtics community made a tribute video for their former key players, turning up the emotions inside the whole place. Fans cheered wildly while highlights of the two future Hall of Famer is shown on the LCD screen. These two players, along with Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen (now with the Miami Heat) formed the Big Four that helped the franchise win the 2008 NBA Championship against the Los Angeles Lakers.

When reached by ESPN, Pierce said that he never really wanted to leave Celtics, his home for more than a decade after being drafted in 1998. He even said that playing against Rondo and the rest of the Celtics is the toughest in his highly-celebrated NBA career.

"I loved it here," he said softly, as he walked toward the visitors locker room before the game. "Never wanted to leave."

"This was the toughest game I've ever had to play," Pierce said. "Tougher than any championship, tougher than any Game 7."

"You know what? I think as long as I'm in the league, it's going to be tough [to come back]," Pierce admitted, "because I'm going to have to come back to the Boston Garden. ... When you come back there's always going to be memories, and there's nothing you're going to do to escape."

For Garnett, as posted on Twitter by Jared Zwerling of the NBA Bleacher Report, he thinks that "it is unfortunate that they have to move on from Boston.