Celtics' rally not enough

WASHINGTON -- Big deficits are a way of life in the nation's capital. Thus, when the Celtics trailed the Wizards by 7 points with 29.4 seconds left Saturday night, there was no sign of panic.

Paul Pierce coolly hit a long 3-pointer to make it a 4-point game. The Wizards then cooperated by throwing away the inbounds pass, giving the Celtics the ball with 21.9 seconds left.

At that point, Boston coach Doc Rivers appeared to have an epiphany. He whirled and called for Brian Scalabrine. Not once. Not twice. Three times.

It was hard to blame Scalabrine, who had not played a second in the game, to wonder if he was hearing things. He is the 11th or 12th man in the rotation, and he admitted he was surprised to hear his name. But as he entered the game, he saw some familiar faces on the Washington bench. There were two coaches, Eddie Jordan and Mike O'Koren, who had coached him in New Jersey. There was Awvee Storey, who had played with him last year with the Nets.

''I told [Jordan] I was going to hit it," Scalabrine said. ''He said, 'You probably won't even get to touch the ball.' I told him, 'If I do, I'll shoot it.' He said, 'If you do, you're probably going to pump-fake.' "

It was all good-natured ribbing, but the bonhomie ended quickly. Scalabrine got open in the right corner, made a quick-release 3-pointer, ran back up court, and said to Jordan, ''I told ya." The Celtics would regain the lead with 9.7 seconds left, only to see it, and the game, slip away when Gilbert Arenas was awarded two free throws with 3.5 seconds left on what was, at best, a very debatable foul on Pierce. The demoralizing 103-102 setback dropped the Celtics to 13-20 and an ugly 3-13 on the road.

The questionable foul on Pierce and the Scalabrine moment dominated the postgame discussion. The Celtics have lost games this year because of last-second shots (Detroit), superior opponents (Detroit, San Antonio), and shoddy defense (pick a loss), and now they have one via a bad call. You might say they've covered all the bases.

''It hurts to lose, no matter how it happens," said Delonte West, who had given Boston the lead with a nerveless 16-footer. ''It's even worse when you have made a major comeback. People were walking out of the gym with their backs turned like the game was over."

If anyone epitomized the plucky rally, it was the rarely used Scalabrine. He has struggled to find time in Rivers's ever-changing rotation and he has been cheered in Boston only when he comes out of games. But he's a hard worker, is enthusiastic and supportive on the bench, and, well, everyone who's been around Scalabrine loves the guy.

''We miss him as a person," said Nets coach Lawrence Frank, who was with Scalabrine for four seasons in New Jersey. ''He's a great guy and he cares so much about the team. He's really an invaluable guy to have around."

The timing of Rivers's clarion call for Scalabrine may have seemed unorthodox, especially since he had never so much as taken off his warmups. But Scalabrine is a pro.

''You just have to know the situation, the time, and the score and focus in," he said. ''There's no time to be thinking about getting into the flow. Ricky [Davis] gave me a good pass and you've gotta let it go. The ball could have gone either way."

Said Rivers: ''That was huge. It seems like the ball always finds the guy who hasn't played. For him to be sitting that long and then make that shot was unbelievable. I didn't think he could because he had sat for so long."

It would have meant more, of course, had the Celtics held on. But as for moments in the sun, Scalabrine has had few, so he'll take this one.

Rivers heaped praise on Davis for his solid, all-around game against the Wizards. Davis made his first seven shots, finished with 24 points on 10-of-16 shooting, and added seven rebounds and eight assists in 44 minutes. ''Besides the 44 minutes, which is too much, I thought Ricky played just about a perfect game," Rivers said. ''If there's a way he should play all the time, it was [Saturday night]. He was fantastic." . . . The Celtics are 0-9 in games in which they shoot between 49.3 percent (they were at 49.4 Saturday night) and 54.8 percent . . . Boston hosts Dallas tonight and then visits Atlanta tomorrow night.