Boston Celtics legends Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett saw plenty of their playoff runs as teammates end at the hands of the Miami Heat and franchise icon Dwyane Wade.
For example, Wade’s Heat booted the Celtics out of the 2011 NBA Playoffs and 2012 NBA Playoffs. Then, after Pierce and Garnett joined the Brooklyn Nets, the Heat eliminated Brooklyn in the second round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs. This all came after Pierce and Garnett did get the better of Wade’s Heat in the 2010 postseason.
With all of the times Wade’s teams sent Pierce and Garnett home, people probably wouldn’t blame the latter two if they didn’t spend time with the 13-time All-Star off the court, but apparently, that’s not the case. WNBA legend Candace Parker showcased a wholesome moment of Wade linking up with his former rivals with a post on Instagram.
Pierce and Garnett never managed to pull out a playoff series victory over the Heat in the Big 3 era. The closest they got to doing just that came back in the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals.
The Celtics pushed Miami to the brink that year, as the series went seven games after Boston even had a 3-2 series lead following Game 5. Boston needed to win just one of Games 6 and 7 to advance to the NBA Finals and take on the Oklahoma City Thunder, but it dropped both contests.
Plenty of Heat fans likely remember all of the triumphs Wade’s Heat teams enjoyed against Pierce and Garnett, but it shouldn’t be forgotten that the Celtics duo did indeed claim that aforementioned series victory against Miami in the opening round of the 2010 NBA Playoffs. That was shortly before stars LeBron James and Chris Bosh joined forces with Wade in Miami.
Hence, the rivalry between Garnett and Pierce and Wade wasn’t entirely one-sided, even if the legendary shooting guard got the better of them in the playoffs more often than not. It’s great that it seems as if Garnett and Pierce don’t have hard feelings for Wade and vice versa with their NBA careers behind them.