A duo and a group that get it

Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett in a Brooklyn uniform standing next to
Rajon Rondo in a Celtic uniform. In a word, odd.

It was sudden.

Abrupt.

No real goodbye, no real closure. Nothing.

That's what the departure of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce felt like.

Although we all knew the day would come when the two would no longer be wearing Celtics uniforms. We didn't know how or when the end would come, but we braced for it. And when the door finally did shut on one of the most prolific eras in NBA history, it still hurt.

It was sad and strange.

It was like losing a couple of your closest friends.

But when the NBA schedule was released in the fall, the first thing almost all Celtics fans looked for was when the Brooklyn Nets would play in Boston. This date was their chance to finally say goodbye and to honor two of their most beloved players. They knew what they had to do.

It wasn't surprising to see more fans gathered by the railing over the tunnel where the Brooklyn Nets came out of the locker room than the railing by the Celtics' tunnel.

From the minute they stepped foot on the court, Garnett and Pierce were showered with love from the Celtic faithful. Fans erupted in applause when the two were introduced in the starting lineup, and the same happened when video tributes were played for each player on the Jumbotron.

A loud "Paul Pierce!" chant began right before public address announcer Eddie Palladino announced the Nets' starting lineup.

Every time each player touched the ball, fans cheered. Each time they scored, fans cheered. Even when Pierce stepped to the line and knocked down two free throws, fans cheered.

Cheering for visitors? In Boston? Unheard of. But not for these two.

Because they were just that special, and because the people of Boston just flat out get it.

“The only thing I can say is what I said on the bench, and that is, this town gets it,” Celtics head coach Brad Stevens said. “This town is special, and you can see why. All the people who have gotten a chance to play here, whether they played here for a year or they played here for 15 years, they all talk about how special it is. You know that coming in, but you can feel it on nights like tonight."

I could go into all the numbers (in Pierce's case) or the change in culture that Garnett brought when he was acquired.

But we know what they did.

The All-Star appearances, stats, records, we know all that.

But the impact they left on this city is even greater.

What Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett did was bring basketball back to Boston. They restored the glory of the winningest franchise in league history, and they did so with pride, a team-first mentality and a tenacity to fight tooth and nail to be crowned champions. And they did that ever so quickly.

While many believed the run of the "Big Three" to last three years, Garnett and Pierce -- along with some help from Rajon Rondo -- made it a six-year run. The ability to remain competitive at such a high level over that time span, at their advanced ages, with the mileage they had, just speaks to how special these two really were.

"That was our era. No one can ever take that away from us," Garnett said after his Nets beat the Celtics last night, 85-79. "I think we will always bleed green as long as we play basketball. We'll bleed green when we’re six feet under."

Pierce called last night's game "the toughest I ever had to play. Tougher than any championship game, Game 7. Tough to concentrate on what was at hand."

It was just another game on the schedule, and it won't look any different in the box score.

But last night's game was a reunion. A chance for closure. A chance to honor and praise two old friends. And the Celtics fans and staff hit this one out of the park.