Paul Pierce has flashbacks of his early days as a Boston Celtic when he watches today's team on the court.
From 1998-2003, it was Pierce and Antoine Walker as the C's one-two punch. These days, it's Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Forsberg: How can C's fix their most glaring weakness?
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Friday night on NBC Sports Boston's Celtics-Lakers broadcast, Mike Gorman asked Pierce whether he sees similarities when comparing Brown and Tatum to himself and Walker.
"Yeah, absolutely," Pierce answered. "I mean, these guys are dynamic players, dynamic scorers. They just have to figure out a way to win and help carry their team to the next level. And that's something me and 'Toine were learning as we got to the Eastern Conference Finals. It's just that, you know, when things broke up we didn't have a chance to finish the job.
"But I do see a lot of similarities with these guys having to carry a lot of weight. But at the same time, they have to learn to be responsible and get their teammates involved a little bit more."
The 2002 NBA Eastern Conference Finals, in which the Celtics fell to New Jersey Nets in six games, was Pierce and Walker's only playoff appearance together. Walker was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in Oct. 2003.
As for Tatum and Brown, both Celtics stars have yet to miss the playoffs but are still on the hunt for their first NBA title. Neither player is expected leave Boston any time soon.