Uniform message was waiting for West

The Celtics made sure Delonte West could not dress for last night's game against the 76ers. They removed West's uniform from his locker before the point guard arrived at the TD Banknorth Garden.

West thought he could play through the pain of a strained right groin, but now he's hoping to play at home tomorrow night against the Bucks.

''[Tomorrow] is what we're targeting," West said. ''I got a chance to see the doctor today. Just with two days off, it feels significantly better. I tried to do a little movement, but my lateral movement wasn't really there. I think another day or two of rest and I'll be able to suit back up.

''I wanted to get out there [yesterday]. You can talk to [trainer] Ed Lacerte about that. I'm having trouble swallowing that I can't play. I'm just trying to get out there. It's tough. They took my uniform out of here quick. I sure was about to put it on."

Through the ups and downs of an inconsistent season, Paul Pierce has remained positive and, seemingly, happy. One reason might be that the captain thinks more about future success than present problems. He sees the Celtics returning to prominence in the Eastern Conference sooner rather than later.

''I think we're a couple moves away," Pierce said. ''We definitely have a couple needs we probably have to address in the summer. But I like the potential on this team. I like the hunger. I like that guys are positive. We have a great atmosphere [in the locker room]. A couple moves and we'll be right there amongst a lot of these teams in the East. I think we need a veteran point guard. A guy with some experience that can help our young guys. We've got a first-year [Orien Greene] and a second-year [West] point guard. Maybe we can get one more perimeter player. I don't know what type yet. I don't know if it's a scorer or a lock-down defender, just one more strong perimeter player, and maybe another big man."

After a few moves this summer, Pierce looks forward to training camp as a time when the Celtics can make strides defensively.

''We've definitely got to improve our defense," he said. ''We have one of the worst defenses in the league, but we're in every game. So, if we can just improve on that a little bit starting in training camp come next year, we're going to be one of the better teams in the East."

And what does Pierce think of his own defense.

''If you ask me," he said with a smile, ''I'm the best defender in the NBA."

Tony Allen (9 points) took over at the point down the stretch when Greene fouled out with 3 minutes 43 seconds remaining. He played a key role on defense, stealing the ball from John Salmons with 1:49 remaining and allegedly getting a piece of an attempted 15-footer by Allen Iverson with 22.9 seconds left (Allen was credited with a block). Allen's progress has been slow since he returned from right knee surgery, but last night he took a big step in earning the trust of coach Doc Rivers. ''I was proudest of Tony Allen," said Rivers. ''He made a horrible decision offensively trying to go one-on-one with Iverson. I said, 'We've got no heroes, No. 1. No. 2, they're not going to give you anything when you go under there.' The reason I was proud of him is because he got through that and kept playing. He just kept defending." . . . Al Jefferson winced and limped throughout the contest against Washington Tuesday night, but Rivers decided to keep him in the game. Rivers believes Jefferson needs to learn how to play through pain as he comes back from injuries. ''Al is going to be fine," Rivers said. ''Obviously, he doesn't have a lot of lift right now and that's hurt us. I saw him running up and down the floor limping, but he was playing well, so I didn't care about that. I think it was a big step for Al [to stay in the game] as far as playing with injury and playing with pain. I think that's a good sign.". . . Wally Szczerbiak played 42 minutes against the Wizards, but gave Rivers a pass for going over the doctor-prescribed 35-minute limit because the game went to overtime . . . Kendrick Perkins will have his dislocated left shoulder examined today and said he hopes to participate in some kind of workout. Rivers said there is a chance Perkins could return against Milwaukee, though it's ''not likely.". . . Dan Dickau attended his first home game since rupturing his right Achilles' Dec. 17 at Chicago, and sat at the end of the bench . . . During the second quarter, fans started chanting ''U-S-A, U-S-A" as Iverson attempted a pair of free throws. Iverson was not invited to try out for the national team that will represent the US at the 2006 world championships and 2008 Beijing Olympics . . . The 76ers' Kevin Ollie left the game in the third quarter with a sprained right ankle.