WALTHAM — Now that the Celtics have exceeded postseason expectations talk has begun to brew about whether this team is better than the 2008 version, and it’s beginning to get old for Paul Pierce.

“You guys [are] asking me all these questions about the ’08 team,” Pierce said Friday after the team conducted practice. “There’s no comparison in the teams. You guys want to make them similar, make them different, make them better. It’s a completely different year. New players that are trying to develop its own identity. Whatever happened then, happened. It’s not the same thing. We’re trying to develop our own identity with this team by winning a championship.”

That came after the third straight question about 2008, but on the first Pierce gave an interesting response.

“It’s a little more challenging, going on the road so much,” he said. “We played probably the three hottest teams in basketball coming into the playoffs. It’s tougher mentally and physically, just the road that we took to get here.”

And if this team wins a title?

“If that happens,” Pierce said. “I’ll be able to answer that.”