Ainge looks at big picture

Celtics executive director of basketball operations Danny Ainge watched this first-round series very closely, as part of his never-ending player evaluation. Emphasis on "never-ending." In other words, the transgressions of Antoine Walker and Paul Pierce will not determine how Ainge views them.

With Walker a free agent this summer, his asking price will be the key factor in whether he remains in Boston. And by no means was this series a referendum on Walker's value.

"Every game, we evaluate every play," said Ainge. "[Money] is always the deciding factor, how much he wants, how much we can afford, and how it all fits. Every player tries to prove their worth and their value, but I think how we play has more to do with the results."

And what about Pierce? Ainge will judge him on the body of his work this season, not one regrettable incident in Game 6. "It would be ludicrous for me to judge a player on one mistake," said Ainge. "I don't condone what Paul did in any way, shape, or form, but at the same time Paul has had an unbelievable year. He wants to win. He's a great player. I would never base a decision on the future on something like that."

Payton's place?
Free agent Gary Payton may have played his last game in a Boston uniform. It is probably not a game he wants to remember; he finished with 7 points (3 for 10) and seven assists in the 97-70 blowout loss.

"We lost our composure and didn't play really well together," said Payton. "You tip your hat to Indiana. They did what they were supposed to do. They came at us. They ran at us. In big games like this, we've got to combine together. It didn't happen, but there's a great future for this team."

But will Payton be part of that future? Payton and his agent, Aaron Goodwin, who attended last night's game, will wait a couple of weeks before considering the veteran point guard's future.

When asked if he wanted to come back to Boston, Payton said, "It's up to my agent. It's up to Danny. It's up to a lot of people. The situation has to be right. I'm never ruling anything out. This is a great situation. I had fun here. All we have to do now is wait till the summer. We don't even know if all of us are going to be playing. There might be a lockout. We'll just wait and see what happens in the summer."

Hail to Reggie
Even though Game 7 took place at the FleetCenter, the pregame routine sounded a lot like a Reggie Miller tribute. It was potentially the last game of Miller's 18-year career, although the Pacers' win means the shooting guard's playing days are not over.

"He's one of the better players of our generation," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. "He might be the most clutch player of our generation, even over Magic [Johnson], [Larry] Bird, Michael [Jordan]. I don't know who's made more clutch shots than Reggie Miller."

Added Ainge, "I think he's the second-best shooting guard in the last 20 years. He's had an unbelievable legacy and he's been one of the greatest players of all time. And I think he's one of the best clutch players of all time. "I think he's a champion even though he's never won a championship."

Hungry for victory
There was some good-natured ribbing between Rivers and Ainge concerning Game 7 of the 1988 Eastern Conference semifinals between Boston and Atlanta. "I honestly don't remember much," said Rivers. "I'm convinced that Red [Auerbach] . . . well, no one on our team got room service that morning. The game was 1 o'clock or 12 o'clock. We all got to the bus and there was zero room service. No one ate. The Marriott wouldn't deliver it to anyone on our team. So we already had the conspiracy thoughts going in our head. [Coach Mike] Fratello ran across and got chips and hot dogs and that's what we ate going to the game. Hell, maybe that's what we should have eaten because we played our butts off." . . . Both Al Jefferson (slightly sprained right ankle) and Payton (lower back and hip pain) were OK for the game . . . Seven technical fouls were assessed; one for the Pacers (Eddie Gill) and six for the Celtics (Ricky Davis, Kendrick Perkins, Justin Reed, Pierce, Walker, and Delonte West) . . . Indiana and Boston finished even in fast-break points with 8 apiece.