Quick thinking aided Celtics

Hey, Brian Scalabrine wants to remind all you ''windy naysayers" out there (Mayor Menino's term) that he didn't put a gun to Danny Ainge's head last summer and demand $15 million. But that's not to say he came here with his cap in his hand, either.

''I was a wanted guy this [past] offseason, but, still, I am what I am," Scalabrine said. ''I [am not going to] come in and drop 20 [points] and 10 [rebounds]. That's just not me. I'm just a basketball player that's going to make basketball plays. If people can accept that, it'll be all right. Maybe it's hard for people to accept that."

Scalabrine made some big basketball plays Tuesday night in Atlanta. He played virtually the entire second half, as Doc Rivers ordered the likable big guy de-mothballed to help win a game against, record-wise, the worst team in the NBA. Scalabrine responded with some big baskets and, more to the point, some terrific defense on Al Harrington, who had only 2 of his 16 points in the second half.

Was this the Scalabrine that the Celtics have been waiting for? Was this the Scalabrine that Ainge unhesitatingly signed for five years over the summer and, since then, has been getting Matt Cassel-like minutes? Was this the same Scalabrine who gets booed in Boston when he enters a game?

It was. But, as Scalabrine points out, if Celtics fans thought they were getting Chris Bosh or Chris Webber, they were not paying attention.

''The hardest part about this whole thing is the expectation that I'm something that I'm really not," Scalabrine said, after the 98-94 come-from-behind victory over the Hawks. ''One of my favorite players in the league [is] Jason Collins of the Nets. He's one of the worst stat guys I've ever seen. But his plus-minus per game is like 9 1/2. But, do people respect that? Sometimes he gets booed in Jersey, too. You have to look at what he does.

''I always thought this whole thing is not about getting numbers; it's about winning basketball games. It's hard to understand and respect the things I do, whether I play five minutes or 28 minutes." Told that knowledgeable hoops aficionados understand that, Scalabrine cracked, ''Convey the message to the greater Northeast area."

Teammates seem to know what he's all about. ''Scal is a smart player," Paul Pierce said. Ricky Davis added after the Atlanta victory, ''It shows what kind of guy Scal is. He gave us energy. He gave us a big lift. He knows how to play the game. That's why we got him."

Whether we will see more of Scalabrine in the big games ahead is unknown. Rivers was vague as to what he had in mind after the Atlanta game. Al Jefferson played just six-plus minutes, all in the first half, against the Hawks. Raef LaFrentz's eight-plus minutes all came in the first half as well. Kendrick Perkins had a second-half cameo, as Rivers went with veterans because, as he put it, ''I thought it was a thinking man's game." And, he added, ''We really needed this one after the last two."

The Celtics signed Scalabrine as much for his smarts (and Larry Bird-like brain type) as his ability. If you missed the Hawks game, you missed Example A of why he's here.

The Celtics' recovery from a 16-point deficit matched the team's best comeback on the road in the nearly 1 1/2 seasons and 58 road games the team has played under Rivers. The other was against the Cavaliers in Cleveland last season (Dec. 14) . . . The Celtics had yesterday off after completing their second stretch of four games in five days. In both cases, the team went 1-3. Of those eight games, six have been on the road. The third and last four-in-five stretch of the season comes in March . . . The victory Tuesday was Boston's fourth on the road this season (in 17 games) and moved the Celtics one ahead of the Hawks, whose three road victories represent the fewest in the NBA. After Tuesday's games, the Celtics were one of six teams with four road wins . . . The Celtics have now won two of their last three games on the second night of back-to-backs. For the season, they are 3-6 in such games. Their next opportunity is a week from Saturday in New Jersey . . . The two leading rebounders for Boston in the Hawks game were the starting guards, Davis and Delonte West, who each had eight.