In defense, Rivers's Celtics don't yet trust

DALLAS -- If coach Doc Rivers wanted game film that showed the kind of defense he wished the Celtics played on a regular basis, all he needed was a copy from Sunday night's matchup against San Antonio. That game featured crisp rotations and trusting teammates. The only problem? The Spurs did all the demonstrating, showing off the No. 1-ranked defense in the NBA.

Rivers really wants what San Antonio has. But he knows that kind of defensive proficiency comes only with practice and experienced players. Both are in short supply. The Celtics resumed workouts yesterday for the first time in a week, devoting almost two hours to defense in a practice at American Airlines Arena.

Following practice, Rivers sounded a bit frustrated by the team's slow overall progress. When his team takes the floor tonight against Dallas, Rivers doesn't expect a replica of San Antonio on defense. He just hopes to see improvement.

"Our defensive intensity, our consistency, our effort fluctuates," said Rivers. "We had a defensive practice, but it's easy to do it in one practice because your focus is on that. So everybody's going to do it.

"The key is when it becomes second nature in games, when you're tired, every night, just rotating and running. We have the coverages, but then they break down because of trust usually. One guy doesn't do his assignment. So the next time, the next guy says, `Well, I'm not doing mine.' That takes time [to correct] with a new team. But in my opinion, we should be ahead of where we are.

"It's not like this is rocket science. We're doing the same rotations we've been trying to do all year. A great example was [Sunday] night. The Spurs have been a great defensive team because they trust each other so much defensively. You saw Tim Duncan running out to the elbow because he knew that was his rotation and that somebody was going to get his guy. We do it one time. The second time we don't do it."

Reviewing how the Celtics played Sunday only reinforced what Rivers thought. Boston does not need to worry about its offense; Paul Pierce, Ricky Davis & Co. can score. Period. They shot 48 percent, failed to move the ball effectively (just 19 assists), and still scored 90 points against the Spurs. That's impressive against a team that was holding opponents to a league-best 41 percent from the field and 85 points per game. But not coincidentally, when the Celtics have pushed their scoring total beyond 100 points, they also have played good defense, holding opponents well below 50 percent. Rivers knows Boston cannot survive on offensive talent and athleticism alone. Now, he must convince the players of that. Veteran Gary Payton has been trying to spread the same message.

"First of all, this is a young team and we don't know how to play defense right now," said Payton. "Once we trust in each other, it will be different. That's what we've got to work on. That's where practice comes in. But until we get that trust in each other, we're just going to have to outhustle people and work a little harder than people."

Unlike Rivers, Payton is not surprised that the Celtics have been slow to trust each other on defense. From a player's perspective, he sees day in and day out how difficult it can be to meld young talent and veterans, an ongoing issue.

"These guys haven't played together," said Payton. "You see San Antonio. The reason their stuff works is even if they do make a mistake they know that somebody is going to back them up. They know each other so well they know the mistake that's going to be made. Then, if they make a mistake, they hustle. Everybody rotates and runs.

"That's because they've been together and won championships together. You can't compare this team with that team. We've got to get to that stage."