BOSTON - Kevin Garnett stole the ball from his friend and put the finishing touch on an emotional night with a layup that helped him and Paul Pierce become winners in their return to Boston. It started with pregame standing ovations for the leaders of the Celtics last championship team and ended with an 85-79 win for the Brooklyn Nets after Garnett picked off Rajon Rondos turnover and dribbled in slowly for an uncontested basket with 20 seconds left Sunday night. "I knew they needed a 3 at that point and I just played the passing lane," Garnett said. "I thought I was going to get caught, but I got it." That gave Brooklyn an 82-77 lead. It was a rare highlight for the returning stars in a game in which they fought to control their emotions while still trying to contribute to their current team. "I had lumps in my throat and I tried to focus as much as I could," Pierce said. "Im happy we got it over with and I can go back to playing basketball." Pierce, the second leading scorer in Celtics history, and Garnett scored just six points each, and Pierce missed eight of his 10 shots. But they received several standing ovations on the court where they won the teams 17th championship in 2008. They also were honoured in tributes shown on the video screen early in the game six months after a blockbuster trade sent them to Brooklyn. "It was, by far, the hardest day that I had to focus," said Garnett, a 19-year veteran. "Its a good homecoming." Andray Blatche scored 17 points and Alan Anderson and Andrei Kirilenko had 11 each as the Nets won for the 10th time in 11 games. The Celtics, losing for the 17th time in 20 games, were led by Brandon Bass with 17 points. Rondo had 13 points, eight rebounds and eight assists one night after having dinner with Pierce and Garnett. During the video tribute to Garnett in a timeout with 2:25 left in the first quarter, he stood near his bench with a white towel draped over his head. He smiled, pounded the left side of his chest and waved several times to the crowd. The tribute to Pierce at the end of the first quarter was longer and drew a louder ovation. He looked up at the video board above centre court with a sombre expression. The camera panned to him on the court showing him repeatedly mouthing the words, "thank you." Celtics coach Brad Stevens quickly gave his players instructions then let them watch the tributes. "It was the right thing to do," he said. "Not much in my life is bigger than the next possession, but that is." Pierce spent 15 seasons with the Celtics after they drafted him with the 10th pick in 1998. Garnett was obtained in a trade with Minnesota before the 2007-08 season and, with Pierce and Ray Allen, led Boston to their most recent championship. But the Celtics are in full rebuilding mode now and trailed 59-53 after three quarters then allowed the first six points of the fourth as the Nets led by 12. Boston cut the lead to 73-70 on a 3-pointer by Chris Johnson, playing on a 10-day contract, with 4:37 remaining. The Nets scored the next five points on a layup by Kirilenko, a free throw by Deron Williams and a jumper by Pierce. That made it 78-70. With the score 80-72, Boston cut the deficit to three on a field goal by Bass and a 3-pointer by Rondo, two of only five current Celtics who played with Pierce and Garnett last season. "We got caught up in (their return)," Bass said, "but for the most part we had a job to do." Joe Johnson then missed his shot and Rondo rebounded, giving Boston a chance to tie with a 3-pointer. He moved the ball upcourt only to lose it to Garnett, who went in for Brooklyns final field goal. "Hes done it all year for us defensively," Nets coach Jason Kidd said. "Hes always in the right place at the right time." Pierce scored his first two points of the game on free throws 1:08 into the third quarter then hit his first field goal, a 16-foot jumper that capped a 10-0 Nets run 2:51 into the period. "It was just a special thing for me," Pierce said, "through my bad times, through my immature times, through my growing up, becoming a man for this city and winning a championship, everybody sticking with me. I would just like to tell them, thank you. " NOTES: The crowd gave Pierce and Garnett a standing ovation when they took the court for pregame warm-ups and when they were the last two Nets starters introduced. ... Garnett won the opening tip against Bass and got the ball back to Pierce. ... The Celtics recalled centre Vitor Faverani from the Maine Red Claws of the NBDL. China Jerseys Paypal .B. -- Canadas Rachel Homan opened the Ford Womens World Curling Championship with a 7-5 win over Russia on Saturday. China Jerseys Quality . 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China Jerseys Replica . -- Nelson Cruz has only two hits in 15 at-bats against the Kansas City Royals this season.The 2014 FIFA World Cup is nearly behind us, a tournament thats been repeatedly called the best of all time. And Canadians have bought in, consuming the games on radio and television, mounting flags to their cars and following the news from Brazil with great anticipation throughout. Theres only been one thing missing for fans in this country – Canada. No matter how big a soccer fan you are, theres just no doubt the tournament would take on a different kind of appeal if Canada had a stake in the game. The diversity of teams being followed across the country over the past month is a reflection of the mosaic that is Canada, which is fine. But wouldnt it be a heck of a lot more fun if we all had a common rallying point, from one coast to another? Our struggles in mens soccer are well documented, with just one World Cup appearance in 1986, despite the fact that participation levels for soccer players in Canada surpassed hockey during the late stages of the last century. The national mens team is currently tied with Bahrain for 110th in the world. Fortunately, the state of things in the womens game couldnt be more different. Which is why there will be a much different dynamic surrounding the 2015 FIFA Womens World Cup which will take place next summer in Canada. For while this will be a tournament about hosting the world in a global game at venues in Vancouver, Ottawa, Montreal, Moncton, Winnipeg and Edmonton next June and July, it will also be about showcasing and getting behind Canadians in the sport of soccer. Team sports tend to get overshadowed at the Olympics. But there is no doubt the most compelling story of the 2012 Summer Games in London was Canada winning bronze in womens soccer. The Canadian women losing in dramatic -- and controversial -- fashion against the United States, and subsequently defeating France to win a medal were two of the most memorable international sporting moments in recent Canadian history. Throw in the fact Canada possesses a world-class star player in Christine Sinclair and you have the kind of dynamics behind which an entire country can rally. Canada currently ranks seventh in womenss soccer worldwide, ahead of such traditional soccer nations as England, Italy and the Netherlands, countries our men couldnt touch on their best days.ddddddddddddSo the optimism about what Canada might accomplish is based on more than just the 2012 Olympic result and the fact that the tournament will be played here. At the top of the heap in womens soccer is the United States which, besides being the tournament favourite, also represents Canadas greatest rival. What will it be like when Canada and the U.S. play next summer? What kind of television audience will it draw? Well consider the factors that could make this one of the marquee events on the Canadian sporting calendar next season. First, the proximity of the U.S.to Canada means the U.S. will have a strong contingent of supporters along with them. Then there is the recent history, the bitterness of the Canadians and the raw feelings over the manner in which they were defeated by the U.S in London. Throw in the fact that the Canadian team is comprised almost exclusively of players who got their training in the U.S. and you can understand why the familiarity of this rivalry makes it so intense. But the real payoff to having the Womens World Cup is what it may mean to the sport of womens soccer in Canada in general. Weve seen the effect that the womens national hockey team has had on the growth of the sport among young girls and women. By its very nature, soccer is a more accessible sport than hockey, which means the potential to seed future generations of womens soccer players is immense. Its one thing to present the worlds game to Canadians and tell them to pick a country to get behind. Its something completely different, and far, far more compelling to tell them they can get behind their own. Soccer isnt a new game in Canada, and from widespread participation to the emergence of Major League Soccer in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal to the technology that allows fans to follow it around the globe, its become a significant part of the sporting fabric of Canada. But safe to say we have never experienced the sport like we will next summer. ' ' '