Ainge is sticking by Rivers

MILWAUKEE -- Busy scouting college players, Danny Ainge was probably glad he missed the "Fire Doc" chants that echoed around TD Banknorth Garden Friday night.

While the Celtics were rebounding in Milwaukee last night with a 111-98 victory, Ainge was watching Kansas play Florida in Las Vegas. He heads to North Carolina today where he will look at North Carolina, N.C. State, Duke, Ohio State, Michigan, and Indiana.

When asked about displeasure of the fans, Ainge said, "I think that's sad. I think that's completely unfair. I don't know what else to say. We did not respond in the right way [against the Knicks]. We let our emotions get the best of us. And that's not Doc's fault."

Not wanting to make excuses, Ainge blamed poor practices and injuries that culminated in the end of the team's three-game winning streak. He noted that Delonte West, Kendrick Perkins, and Wally Szczerbiak have not been 100 percent.

"Here's my take: During the three-game winning streak, we had a fantastic week of practice," said Ainge. "Then, we had injuries and that threw things off. We need practices. We need to practice hard. We need to stay sharp."

Neither West (sprained left big toe) nor Perkins (plantar fasciitis) complained of pain following Friday night's loss.

Gerald Green standing wide open at the 3-point line was once a worrisome prospect. There was no telling what might happen if he received the ball. But that was before shooting instructions from Ainge and Celtics coaches made a difference. These days, Green looks as confident taking a 3-pointer from the left corner as he does rising to dunk an alley-oop.

Surprisingly, Green is the Celtics' most accurate 3-point shooter this season, going 11 for 21 (52 percent) from behind the arc. He ranks fourth in the league, just behind perennial perimeter threats such as San Antonio's Brent Barry (58 percent) and Philadelphia's Kyle Korver (56 percent).

But when it comes to 2-pointers, Green struggles, going 4 for 15 (27 percent) inside the arc, although he was 2 for 2 last night.

"A lot of my opportunities and my attempts are from 3-point range," said Green. "So, just by Paul [Pierce] passing and kicking and [Rajon] Rondo being a great penetrator and drawing the defense in, [I get a lot of open 3-pointers].

"If I have a shot, I'm going to take it. I worked on [3-point shooting] since last year. I always want to be prepared for anything, especially from 3-point range. Paul and Wally [Szczerbiak] draw a lot of defenders, so it gives me a better opportunity to be effective on offense."

Although coach Doc Rivers doesn't want Green making his living behind the arc, the second-year swingman has earned more minutes this season because of his ability to hit shots. In the Celtics' last five games before facing Milwaukee at the Bradley Center last night, Green averaged 15.0 minutes as part of Rivers's rotation. Last night, he went 3 for 3 from the field for 6 points with no 3-point attempts.

"Playing more minutes is always helpful in anybody's hands, especially mine," said Green. "By playing a lot I get into the rhythm of the game."

Green hopes Rivers will look at him and see a capable defender.

"I would like to be more of a defensive player than just a shooter," said Green. "That's one of the things I want to get down pat. I just have to have that mind-set where I want to shut somebody down."

Green as a shut-down defender seems implausible now, but then again, it was hard to imagine the 20-year-old ranking among the league's top 3-pointer shooters in his second season.

The last time the Celtics won at the Bradley Center was April 13, 2005. Before last night's win, the Celtics' last 17 trips to Milwaukee, dating to the 1996-97 season, produced a 3-14 record.

"Sometimes it seems like there's altitude out there or something," said Pierce. "I don't even remember the last time I won there. I really don't know why. It's not like you can say Milwaukee is like a Miami where everybody's going to go out and be tired."

But Pierce does know what Boston needs to improve on last season's dismal 12-29 record on the road. Last season, the Celtics picked up their first road win Dec. 4 at New York. Boston arrived in Milwaukee last night with a 1-3 road mark -- coincidentally, the lone road win had come at New York Nov. 18.

"I want us to be [a better road team], but I think it's just tough for young teams mentally to go on the road," said Pierce. "Young players have a certain mind-set that they've got to get when they go on the road.

"On the road, you need a little bit more concentration and understanding that everything is against you."

Shira Springer can be reached at springer@globe.com.