No more trap shooting

WALTHAM -- Al Jefferson received more attention from the Pacers than he expected. Although coach Doc Rivers reviewed the coverages Indiana might throw at the rookie, he still seemed surprised when trapped in the Celtics' 82-79 loss in Game 2. While teammates described Jefferson as fearless following Game 1, he looked a little frightened in Game 2. He finished with just 2 points (1 for 3) and five rebounds in nine minutes.

"They trapped me," said Jefferson. "They were sending guys at me every time I touched the ball. I felt like my defense and my rebounding was OK, but offense-wise, they were trapping me every time, so there was nothing I could do besides make smart passes out of the paint and re-post. If I had a chance to do it all over again, that's the only thing I probably would do."

Rivers hopes Jefferson will do exactly that tonight in Game 3 at Conseco Fieldhouse. The coach had few complaints about Jefferson's play in Game 2, saying the rookie needed more help from his teammates.

"I thought he handled [the defensive pressure] OK," said Rivers. "I didn't think our guys helped him. I thought Al pressed a little bit. I don't like when Al comes in the game and tries to be a scorer. I like when Al comes in the game and tries to allow the game to come to him.

"I showed the guys on film where they didn't help Al. They gave him no room. They didn't space for him. We'd gone over the rotations in the shootaround. We actually guessed right on who they were going to use to trap. We're supposed to have a guy available so Al can throw it back and re-post, but that guy was never there. I don't know if Al would have passed it to him anyway because he was so aggressive, but at least, it's our job to get the guy there."

Flop story
Even on days off, Reggie Miller seems to occupy the thoughts of Rivers. The coach continued his campaign to get more calls against the Pacers shooter. With Miller scoring 28 points in Game 2, Rivers had good reason to keep up his efforts.

"You keep hoping the officials don't keep falling for the flops, the grabs, the holds, the kicks," said Rivers. "Reggie's a great player and I'm not taking anything from him, but it's amazing what he gets away with. I thought [the officials] looked down on floppers. Usually, they get upset. This is the one exception. That's been a concern for us. Reggie is a concern in a lot of ways. He's a concern because he's a great player and you don't just stop great players. If you could, he wouldn't be a great player.

"He's on the farewell tour and you're worried about the sympathy calls and votes. So, we've got to guard him. We've got to guard against the sympathy calls. We've got to guard everything when Reggie is involved and that's just the way it is."

Time is short
Jefferson, Marcus Banks, and Delonte West logged a combined 29 minutes in Game 2. Jefferson did not play in the second half. But according to Rivers those numbers do not represent a trend for the remaining playoff games. When asked if he was being conservative with his younger players, Rivers said, "I was in Game 2 and I might be in Game 3. I'm going to play our guys. If they play well or even if they're not playing well but doing the right things, they'll still be on the floor. Again, the point I'm making there is we're not a team that can just shut our young guys off. We're just not that type of team." For his part, Jefferson had no issue with sitting out the second half. "Stuff like that really doesn't bother me," said Jefferson. "I feel like that is the coach's decision. Whatever decision he makes, I think it's best for the team. I know my time will come eventually." . . . Rivers and Red Sox pitcher David Wells got to know each other when both played in New York. Yesterday, Rivers sent get-well wishes to Wells, who went on the 15-day disabled list with a foot injury. "I feel bad for him," said Rivers. "He's going to be good though. He's a gamer. He always has been. I guarantee that at the end of the season David Wells comes up big for the Red Sox. Put that in the canister and when he's rolling you guys bring it out."