Second unit now first-rate

WALTHAM -- According to Delonte West, the Celtics' reserves call themselves the "B Unit." Why such a simple nickname? "We're straight to the point," said West. "No messing around."

He has a point. Lately, the second unit has conducted itself in an entirely businesslike manner, getting the job done when called upon. With the high-scoring Ricky Davis, the resurgent Mark Blount, and the maturing Al Jefferson, Marcus Banks, and West, the Celtics have turned into one of the deepest teams in the league, which bodes well for the playoffs.

Not long ago, the sight of the reserves checking in often prompted shouting from the sidelines and hand-wringing in the stands. But while occasional miscues still raise the ire of coach Doc Rivers, the second unit now not only preserves leads but sometimes extends them. With their youth and athleticism, the bench players bring a contagious energy to the floor that inspires the starters and wears down opponents. They also play with a tremendous amount of pride.

"We had to come together," said Jefferson. "We knew we couldn't leave it all up to the starters. There's a lot of pride just to get the opportunity to get out there and get put in that situation. We thank God that Doc trusts us."

The Celtics are seeing the dividends of Rivers giving time early and often to largely inexperienced players such as Jefferson, West, and Banks. The reserves also have benefited from substitution patterns that insert them as a unit. With the exception of placing Davis on the floor at the end of close games, Rivers rarely mixes starters and reserves. They practice together and they play together. That has allowed them to build chemistry. They know each other's strengths and weaknesses.

Jefferson acknowledged that he would find it awkward to play alongside Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker. Meanwhile, Pierce and Walker enjoy watching the bench players take care of business.

"The second unit is gaining a lot of confidence with each and every game," said Pierce. "Doc has put them in great situations where they're in crucial parts of the game and they're able to learn. They've matured and they're getting better day in and day out."

With trust in themselves established, the bench players have been able to pull off some impressive performances since Walker returned and bumped Blount down the depth chart. During the current seven-game winning streak, the second unit has outscored the opponent's second unit five times.

So far, the best performance came against Washington March 13, when the second unit turned a 10-point third-quarter deficit into a 4-point fourth-quarter lead. The Boston bench outscored the Washington bench, 50-16, in that game. The reserves also played key roles on the road last weekend, staging a 16-3 run against Houston and giving Boston the lead for good against New Orleans with a 15-6 run.

"Coach has been on us about allowing teams back into games, saying we've got to back the starters up and have quality minutes out there," said West. "Over the last couple games, we've responded. That's what we've got to continue to do in order for us to make a deep run into the playoffs.

"We have guys coming off the bench [Blount, Davis] that were starters, that can be starters on other teams. That's good. We're one of the deepest teams and we're a bench that can put up big numbers. We've clicked since Toine has come back and we enjoy pushing each other."

Although Rivers may have pushed the bench players recently, he has no complaints about what they bring to the court. He especially likes their competitive spirit, preferring to focus on that rather than their youth. Rivers knows there still will be nights when inexperience gets the better of the bench, but he hopes that more playing time will ensure playoff readiness.

"I love our bench," said Rivers. "If the young guys are playing well, then we're really deep. If they're not playing well, then we're really shallow.

"Every night we're going to have the opportunity of them coming in, and if they're playing well, they can really help our team. I'm never surprised by them, but I'm happy with the way they're progressing. The thing I'm most happy with is that their energy and urgency is up."