Not exactly free and easy

It was painful watching the Celtics step to the free throw line last night. One can only imagine what it was like to stand at the line as the misses piled up. Boston shot 59 percent (20 for 34) from the stripe in a 99-96 win over New Jersey at the TD Banknorth Garden, and most astonishing is that the Celtics managed to pull out the victory despite going 8 for 16 in the fourth quarter.

Celtics coach Doc Rivers at first joked he was going to put a basket in the team hotel so players could work on free throws before tonight's game against the Nets at Continental Airlines Arena.

''Last week and a half, we've been shooting free throws more and more and we're getting worse," said Rivers. ''So, I'm going to go back to the way we were doing it before. Free throws are optional for everybody.

''Maybe then we can shoot them better."

Rivers later talked about the struggles of Paul Pierce, who went 8 for 14 from the line.

''Every player goes through this at times," said the coach. ''He's just not comfortable. You can see it right now. Unfortunately, he's the guy that gets to the line the most. He'll be fine. The one thing I don't worry about is a guy with a great shot who loses that touch for a little bit on the free throw line. But it does become contagious when your better player misses a couple.

''The other guys see that and it's on their mind."

Pierce wasn't worried about his performance. ''It's just a mental block," he said. ''Hopefully, we can clean it up tomorrow."

Familiar faces

Last night marked the first time Brian Scalabrine played his former team. When asked if the adjustment to Boston has been difficult, Scalabrine said, ''Not really. I think there were unfair expectations. I can go out there and help the team win without scoring 20 [points], not that I can't score 20, but more than likely I'll help the team win by not doing that."

Last night, Scalabrine had 2 points in 18 minutes.

Scalabrine acknowledged his five-year, $15 million contract may have created high expectations.

''[The fans] probably thought I was coming in to be the next Larry Bird, but hey, that ain't me," said Scalabrine. ''I wish I was."

Kidd can relate

When it comes to worrying about family members in the stands, Nets point guard Jason Kidd has more personal knowledge than he would like. In light of the Knicks' Antonio Davis entering the stands at the United Center in Chicago to protect his wife this week, Kidd reflected on his 2002 playoff experience in Boston.

During Games 3 and 4, Celtics fans chanted ''wife beater" at Kidd. His wife, Joumana, and son, T.J., did not return for Game 6. Kidd sided with Davis, though he said he never felt his wife was in danger.

''My wife is always under control and always protected," said Kidd. ''Any time you're on the road, they're going to express that they dislike you. When I talk to Joumana, most of the times she hears from fans that they enjoy the way that I play or when will he be able to come play for us. You can run into a fan that maybe has had a beer or two. You have to expect that when you go on the road things are going to be uneasy. That's what having the home court is all about.

''When that incident happened with the playoffs, I thought the security and management and everything made sure she was in a safe place. That's all you can hope for."

Have a seat

Mark Blount certainly isn't being showcased for a trade. Then again, maybe the Celtics are making sure he doesn't get injured. Blount did not play last night because of a coach's decision, the second time this season that he has sat an entire game. When asked for an explanation, Rivers said, ''I thought right now the young guys are playing well. [Scalabrine] is giving us phenomenal energy and it was the right thing to do. We didn't play [Blount] much the other night and I liked the energy."