Less than 24 hours after completing the biggest comeback in the NBA Finals since the institution of the 24-second clock, the Celtics took a much-deserved day off from practice Friday with there being two full days before Sunday's Game 5 match-up at the STAPLES Center.

Celtics captain Paul Pierce led the spirited charge back in Game 4 to help give his team a 97-91 victory before a stunned Lakers side. He hit big shots down the stretch, playing the entire second half, and blanketed league MVP Kobe Bryant on the defensive end.

While Pierce has been the go-to guy for much of his time in Boston, he has emerged more so as a leader over the course of this season. Hard to believe when one considers that the Celtics were one of the worst teams in the league last year and Pierce is not the type of person who accepts losing well.

One reason why Pierce has improved is his relationship with Celtics head coach Doc Rivers.

"He's done a great job," Pierce said after Game 4. "I mean, he knows the game better than anybody I've played with on this level. He's easy to get along with."

The two have been together since Rivers was hired in April 2004, but the relationship has not always been harmonious. Rivers and Pierce reached the postseason in the head coach's first season with the team in '04-'05, but spent the next two years out of contention.

Even though the team won its first Atlantic Division title since '91-'92 and had a playoff berth, Rivers and Pierce did not always see eye-to-eye in the early going.

"Well, obviously when we first started it wasn't great because I asked him to change his game," Rivers said Friday during media availability at the Toyota Athletic Center. "You ask an All-Star to change your game, it's probably not the smartest thing for a coach to do. But I thought it was the right thing for the team, and I thought it was the right thing for Paul. And he didn't at the time, but he did early -- even in that year he did, and the credit goes to Paul for doing it.

"I mean, that's a hell of a chance to take. You're an All Star and I'm telling you, you have to change your game in some ways, and he did that, as far as just the ball movement part of it and where he was getting his shots from."

As Pierce got a better feel for Rivers and vice versa, the two found common ground and kept the lines of communication open.

"We've got a lot in common," Pierce said Thursday. "We're both Libras. Our birthday is on the same day (Oct. 13), if y'all didn't know that. He's been great for me."

Pierce may have been frustrated with losing during the previous two seasons, but, according to Rivers, he was never frustrated with his head coach.

Rivers credited Pierce for opting to work out a three-year contract extension with Boston in July 2006 rather than waiting for his current deal to run out after the '07-'08 season and opt for the potential free-agent jackpot.

"I don't think Paul got enough due for re-upping with us when he clearly could have waited and been a free agent," Rivers said. "He whispered it at times, but for the most part he wanted to stay here and be a Celtic and not leave and see this through.

"We're in a generation now that whenever your team is bad, the players want to leave. They want to jump ship. They want to go somewhere else. I think Paul never did that. He wanted to stay."

Luckily for Pierce and Rivers, who were once reluctantly stuck with each other, they have stuck around long enough to be on the verge of the franchise's 17th title.

Rivers Remembers His Dad: There was an emotional moment during Friday's media availability when Rivers was asked to reflect on what it would have meant for his dad, who passed away in November, to see his team in the NBA Finals and on the verge of a title.

Rivers' eyes visibly welled up and the room went silent, waiting for a response from the Celtics head coach.

"He's just very important in my life," Rivers said after taking a few moments to compose his thoughts. "It's still very difficult for me to talk about because I haven't had a lot of time, really, to reflect on it. You know, it happened during the season unexpectedly. It's very, very difficult. But I do think about it. I think about it a lot."

Grady Alexander Rivers Sr., a retired Chicago police officer, passed away on Nov. 4 at the age of 76 in Illinois.

Leading at the Register: The Finals are not over yet, but the Celtics and Kevin Garnett already edged out Kobe Bryant and the Lakers in at least one category: merchandise sales.

Based on combined sales at the NBA Store in New York City and NBAStore.com for the 2007-08 season, Garnett leads the list of the NBA's most popular jerseys, followed by Bryant, who last held the top spot, and Cleveland's LeBron James. Pierce ranked 14th in jersey sales.

Celtics merchandise ranked No. 1 overall, ahead of the Lakers and Phoenix Suns.