Celtics captain Paul Pierce needed some time to adjust to both coach Doc Rivers and his system, but the two have a strong bond now.

"I'd definitely say that I'm married to the system," Pierce said. "It started out rocky and we had our ups and downs, like most relationships, but we were able to ride it out for the good and bad. Early years, it was tough, I was close to divorce. Didn't have my prenup in place. So I had to think twice. It's cheaper to keep her.

"Let's put it this way: You've been with a girl for five years, and then you've got a new girlfriend. You have to get used to each other, because the last girlfriend you knew everything about because you had been together for so long. You're going to make a lot of different mistakes, have a lot of different arguments.

"It's about learning each other, and it was the same thing with Doc's system," Pierce added. "In the beginning I was just learning, and now I know exactly what he wants."

Rivers says that Pierce doesn't even resemble the player he saw when he first came to Boston.

"Oh no, I don't even know who that is," Rivers said. "The one here is amazing, an amazing player. He's older, he's more mature, he's solid - just a solid player. His percentages, everything is better. He's just a more efficient basketball player. And he's a more efficient person. I just think you grow up. Early on, I think, he was trying to establish himself, and now he's just trying to establish his legacy. That's different."