Healthy West toes the line

When Delonte West awoke yesterday morning, he was surprised his sprained left big toe felt 100 percent. He participated in the shootaround and told the coaching staff he was ready to return. West played 19 minutes in the Celtics' 101-77 loss to the Knicks last night at TD Banknorth Garden.

"I woke up and, by the grace of God, all the pain was gone," said West (9 points, 2 rebounds, 4 of 13 from the field). "I couldn't believe it. I prayed on it [Thursday] night to the basketball gods and my prayers came true 100 percent. I guess a couple days of rest, a little turkey and yams, a little greens, and a little stuffing might have done it."

Although West said he was 100 percent, coach Doc Rivers didn't sound entirely convinced. Rivers considered placing West on the inactive list for last night, especially since rookie Rajon Rondo was sent home from shootaround with flu-like symptoms. The coach wanted to make sure he had a pair of guards who could make it the entire game, and thought it would be best to activate Allan Ray. Despite not looking good in the warm-up, West persuaded Rivers otherwise.

"He didn't look great [at shootaround]," said Rivers. "He really didn't look good when he shot around before the game, but we [decided to] take the gamble. With adrenaline, you just never know. I actually had [team spokesman] Jeff [Twiss] put him on the [inactive] list. Then, he really wanted to go. When a player wants to go that badly, and says he can do it, you trust that.

"With Rajon being under the weather, it was a tough one for me. If Delonte can't play well and Rajon doesn't feel well, then Allan Ray is in street clothes. Then, we don't have any smalls."

Rivers said he was not certain if West would play tonight against the Bucks in Milwaukee. Rondo finished with 3 points and only one assist in 14 minutes off the bench.

Sometimes tweaking the starting lineup can do more harm than good. Knicks coach Isiah Thomas learned that Wednesday when he replaced Steve Francis with Jamal Crawford in a 107-89 loss to the Timberwolves . Thomas reversed tack last night and reinserted Francis into the starting lineup. Although it didn't make an immediate impact as the Celtics started the game with a 6-0 run, Thomas got the result he wanted.

"We've got a second unit that's playing really well," said Thomas. "We've got defined roles on the second unit. They play with a lot of energy. They understand where they're going and what they're doing.

"In my thought process of trying to help Steve and get him a little bit more aggressive, I ended up hurting Nate Robinson, I think he was 0 for 1 in that game [against Minnesota] and Quentin Richardson didn't take a shot. We're a good team when we move the ball, pass the ball, and set screens. And I've got to continue to try to find a way to make sure that Steve and Stephon [Marbury] are comfortable in what we're doing. But I also want to make sure our team is comfortable.

"It's a delicate balance, and sometimes you make a change with the thought process of trying to help one or two players, but in the process you end up hurting some other guys that you didn't intend to hurt. I'll take the hit for that one. That was my bad choice."

Paul Pierce finished with six of Boston's 15 turnovers, yet another troubling statistic for the home team. "Well, I'm sure Paul was frustrated," said Rivers. "He was trying to make things happen. We've got to do a better job moving the ball. But when your best player gets frustrated they tend to force things, and I can understand that." . . . Al Jefferson (4 points, 8 rebounds) reported he felt "real good" two nights after returning from an appendectomy. He will continue to wear padding around his midsection. "I'm going to wear it until I know it's 100 percent well because any bump might make it sore again," said Jefferson. "I'd rather be safe than sorry." . . . Neither Michael Olowokandi (small abdominal muscle tear) nor Theo Ratliff (sore lower back) are close to returning, according to Rivers.