"It's the postseason, which means it's time for Paul Pierce to run through another gauntlet of the NBA's premier players.

There never seems to be a respite for Pierce, whose task is to be his team's primary scorer while trying to limit some of the league's most explosive offensive threats.

In the first round it was the Knicks' Carmelo Anthony. Now, Pierce will be matched up with LeBron James, as the Celtics and Heat begin the Eastern Conference semifinals on Sunday in Miami.

"It doesn't get any easier at my position," Pierce said. "It seems like every round there's going to be somebody that's a great player at that position. Playing against Melo, and all the things he does offensively, just prepares you for playing against a guy like LeBron. You have guys you have to be aware of pretty much all over the court. (LeBron is) really a big part of what they do as a team, a focal point and I'm going to be asked to guard him. So (it's) another challenge for me.""