Rivers won't miss any more games

Doc Rivers returned to Boston yesterday after missing Sunday afternoon's game in Indianapolis following the death of his father-in-law. He will return to Orlando next week for the funeral, with services tentatively scheduled for Monday.

The Celtics coach does not anticipate missing any more time with the team, hoping to work funeral arrangements around the upcoming schedule, which includes a home game against Chicago Sunday (4 p.m. tipoff), then two days off before a trip to New York next Wednesday.

''I have my obligations, but I won't miss another practice or game, most likely," said Rivers. ''We're going to do services around my schedule. I don't plan on missing anything, hopefully."

Rivers watched some of the Celtics' 103-88 victory over the Pacers at home with his family. Rivers was impressed with the energy supplied by the bench in the first quarter and second half. He felt the younger players pushed the older players, and he complimented the job done by assistant coach Tony Brown.

Asked if he would let Brown call the shots last night with the Lakers in town, Rivers joked, ''Yeah, absolutely, if it works."

In the fourth quarter against Indiana, Brown started Tony Allen, Gerald Green, Kendrick Perkins, Orien Greene, and Al Jefferson on what he called a hunch, though Rivers noted that strategy had been discussed.

''We had talked about it, honestly," said Rivers. ''So, we kind of knew where we were going. We knew going into the game that Raef [LaFrentz] and Wally [Szczerbiak], bottom line, couldn't survive.

''If you looked at the Orlando game, it was pretty clear to all of us that someone else had to play, and the list gets really short with our guys.

''But more importantly, what I was happy about was they took quick shots and settled down. They got what we were trying to run, and I thought that was huge."

Paul Pierce declined to make comparisons between himself and Kobe Bryant. He said it was up to the media to pass judgment. Rivers also decided it would be best not to comment on whether Pierce and Bryant were on the same level as scorers -- at least not before the game when it could become last-minute bulletin-board material.

Rivers did note, however, that with his legal troubles behind him, Bryant appears ''free to be a basketball player." Meanwhile, Bryant was more than happy to heap praise upon Pierce.

''He's been in a great groove recently," said Bryant. ''He's playing at a high level with some of the best in the league. You've got to try to break his rhythm a little bit, disrupt his patterns."

Pierce on the Celtics' playoff chances: ''We're taking advantage of the fact that Philadelphia is not playing well, that [Allen] Iverson is not playing. It's going to be crazy coming down the stretch again once again. But the Eastern Conference is like that every year to where it comes down to the last week of the season. So, every game is more important. Now, that we've got our big road trips out of the way, we can try to get some of these home games and still improve in road games, we think we've got a good chance." That said, Pierce knows the impact an injury to a major player like Iverson can have. ''Every team is one injury away from really sliding.". . . Watching NCAA Tournament action over the weekend, Pierce was most impressed with the pair of dunks by Tennessee's Candace Parker. ''That was cold-blooded," said Pierce. ''I couldn't believe it." . . . Spotted in the media dining room: Lakers coach Phil Jackson breaking bread with Celtics broadcaster Tommy Heinsohn . . . For the record, the largest deficit the Celtics erased in a victory this season was 18 points, in a 1-point win over the Grizzlies Nov. 9 . . . LaFrentz played a solid 23 minutes with 7 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 assists . . . Perkins was another big man who played well with 5 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocked shots in 18 minutes.