One of the league's greatest rivalries over the years has been between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers.

With that in mind, All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving is set to experience that for the first time in his career in his first campaign with Boston. Prior to the game, former Celtics great Paul Pierce had some keen advice to offer the 25-year-old ahead of the matchup.

Pierce has plenty of experience dealing with that first hand with a pair of NBA Finals matchups against the Kobe Bryant-led Lakers, where both teams split the meetings.

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This has given him a clear understanding of the range of emotions and passion from the Celtics fanbase on both ends of the spectrum.

As for Irving, he will have the task of taking on a young Lakers team led by rookies Lonzo Ball and Kyle Kuzma. He will have the defensive task of guarding Ball, who has quickly proven to be a unique passer despite his continued shooting woes.

Los Angeles may not have a team that can compete for an NBA title at this current juncture, but it should still make for an entertaining contest between both teams on Wednesday night at TD Garden.