WALTHAM, Mass. — Paul Pierce is excited to return to the NBA finals and his hometown for the next round in the league’s greatest rivalry.

Boston’s best player isn’t exactly thrilled that Los Angeles’ welcoming committee includes Ron Artest, a physical, tenacious defender.

“He likes to bang you,” Pierce said Monday, “grab you, hold you, pull your shorts down. He’s going to try anything.”

The NBA’s past two champions will go for another title beginning Thursday night when the Celtics face the Lakers in front of an array of Hollywood stars and, very likely, a large number of Pierce’s friends and family who will root against their local team.

Boston’s captain cherishes that support, though it comes with a price.

“It’s always special just to be a part of the finals,” he said a few hours before the Celtics boarded a plane for their cross-country trip. “To do it in a place where I grew up, it makes it even more special. The only negative thing about it is tickets for me. I mean, it’s going to be pretty expensive.”

That was a small inconvenience two years ago when Pierce won his first NBA title in 10 seasons as the Celtics beat the Lakers in six games. Boston clinched it with a 131-92 win at home for its ninth championship in 11 finals matchups with the Lakers.

But Artest didn’t join the Lakers until last July.

Pierce averaged 18.3 points per game in the regular season, and 19.1 over the first three rounds in the postseason. He averaged 24.3 in the Eastern Conference finals against the Orlando Magic, collecting 31 points and 13 rebounds in the clincher.

But he scored just 13 points per game as Boston and Los Angeles split their two-game season series.

“I matched up with him the last 10, 11 years. He’s one of the best defenders I’ve ever played against,” Pierce said of Artest. “He’ll try anything just to try to get into his opponent’s head. But I think just from playing against him over the years I’ve become used to the things that he tries to do and I just try to go out there and play my game, not really get into the antics with him.”

Artest relieves Kobe Bryant of the burden of defending the opponent’s best scorer, allowing the Lakers star to focus more on his own offense.

Artest “makes a difference,” Boston coach Doc Rivers said. “He’s been perfect because it’s allowed Kobe not to have to guard the best player every night. ”¦ You can see it in Kobe’s (offensive numbers). He’s as fresh as I’ve ever seen him in the playoffs, and I think it’s due to Ron Artest.”

Bryant scored 37 points in Saturday night’s 111-103 win over the Phoenix Suns that put the Lakers in the finals, his 10th 30-point playoff game in his last 11.

Artest also can be an offensive threat. He hit the winning layup at the buzzer in Game 5 then scored 25 points to help the Lakers clinch the Western Conference finals in Game 6 in Phoenix.

Artest and his teammates will play before a friendly crowd Thursday that will include a small pocket of Pierce partisans.

“My friends,” Pierce said, “really grew up (as) L.A. fans and, all of a sudden, are Celtic fans because of me. So it’s a little weird for them and family.”

Have they made any comments about that?

“I don’t really get anything from friends and family,” he said. “They’ll be sure to keep their mouths closed because they want tickets.”

The crowd for Game 1 of the best-of-seven series will see the newest installment of a rivalry that goes back more than 50 years — to the 1959 finals when Boston swept the Minneapolis Lakers in four games. The franchises clashed in six finals in the ’60s. Then came the ’80s and three Larry Bird-Magic Johnson championship rounds, two of them won by the Lakers.

It took more than 20 years for the teams to match up again in 2008 when the Celtics captured their NBA-high 17th title.

Another championship would mean “everything,” Pierce said. “Hopefully, it can move me up the ranks as one of the top Celtics players of all time and maybe in NBA history.”

The Celtics, without injured Kevin Garnett, were eliminated in the Eastern semifinals last year and the Lakers beat Orlando in the finals. Soon after, Pierce said he was on the West Coast walking his dog in his neighborhood when he saw Los Angeles coach Phil Jackson in a convertible at a stop sign.

“I just said congratulations to him,” Pierce said. “I think he probably mentioned something (like) ”˜See you in the finals next year.”’

Now that series is just a few days away.

“I think both teams are happy they’re playing the team they’re playing,” Rivers said. “I think it’s exactly the way we envisioned it during training camp and it’s probably the same way they envisioned it.”

Position-by-position matchups for the NBA finals

A position-by-position look at the matchups in the NBA finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics.

CENTER: Andrew Bynum vs. Kendrick Perkins. The Lakers sorely missed Bynum two years ago against the Celtics in the finals, when he was sidelined with a knee injury. He’s back now but still has knee problems that have limited him to only about 24 minutes per game in the postseason. Perkins, an excellent defender, will look forward to an easier cover after having to defend and be defended by Dwight Howard in the last round. Edge: Even.

POWER FORWARD: Pau Gasol vs. Kevin Garnett. The matchup that could swing the series. Garnett easily had the better of it two years, but Gasol is much tougher than he was then and is having a terrific postseason. Still a top defender, Garnett scored at least 18 points in every game against Cleveland in the second round, then managed more than 10 only once against Orlando. Edge: Lakers.

SMALL FORWARD: Ron Artest vs. Paul Pierce. Artest will drive the Lakers’ fans and coaches nuts with some bad shots, but all will be forgiven if he can do what Los Angeles couldn’t do two years ago: defend Pierce. Pierce’s offensive game is back on track after he had to sacrifice scoring while defending LeBron James in the East semifinals, so Artest will have to be at his best. Edge: Celtics.

SHOOTING GUARD: Kobe Bryant vs. Ray Allen. Bryant comes off a magnificent series against Phoenix in the West finals, averaging 33.7 points, 7.2 rebounds and 8.3 assists while making 52.1 percent of his shots. He wants this one badly after the Celtics held him in check in their victory two years ago. Allen, still one of the NBA’s best shooters, scored 24 points on 10-of-15 shooting in Boston’s regular-season victory over Los Angeles but was limited to seven and shot just 2 for 10 in its loss. Edge: Lakers.

POINT GUARD: Derek Fisher vs. Rajon Rondo. Rondo has been one of the best players in this postseason, but he’s taken a lot of bumps along the way and wasn’t as spectacular in the conference finals as he was against Cleveland in the previous round. Still, his athleticism makes this the one matchup that should definitely favor Boston. Fisher still can be counted on to hit a big shot somewhere along the way, as he did in Game 4 of last year’s finals. Edge: Celtics.

RESERVES: Lamar Odom, Shannon Brown, Jordan Farmar, Sasha Vujacic and Luke Walton vs. Glen Davis, Rasheed Wallace, Tony Allen, Nate Robinson and Michael Finley. A lot depends on the health of the Celtics, who watched Davis and Wallace get banged up in the previous round. If the Celtics are healthy, they are deeper. Tony Allen will get plenty of chances to defend Bryant. Edge: Celtics.

COACHES: Phil Jackson vs. Doc Rivers. After the Celtics delayed him two years ago, Jackson won his NBA-best 10th championship last June. Rivers carefully monitored his aging stars’ minutes late in the season, even as it cost the Celtics wins. The most intriguing part of the coaching matchup this year could be the rumor mill: There’s talk that neither will be back with his team next season. Edge: Even.