Szczerbiak hot topic for Rivers

As soon as the halftime buzzer sounded last night , Doc Rivers started a very public argument with Wally Szczerbiak. The two could be seen and heard yelling at each other as the Celtics headed to the locker room, Rivers appearing to criticize Szczerbiak for what the coach thought was a missed defensive assignment.

When asked about the incident after the Celtics' 106-103 loss to the Nets, both Rivers and Szczerbiak said the incident concerned defensive coverages. They added that the matter was dealt with during halftime and no longer an issue.

"It was rectified," said Rivers. "It was no big deal, though. It was good. It was great because we could show them at halftime and they saw the mistakes."

Said Szczerbiak: "I love Doc. Strong-willed individuals are going to get into it once in a while. I know when to bury the hatchet and I think he does to. We're just going to move on. We figured it out in here at halftime. We ironed out the problem. It was just competitive guys going at it. It got me going a little bit."

Theo Ratliff reported progress with his sore lower back, though he still does not know when he will return to the lineup. The veteran center will see Andrew Fischer on Long Island this weekend for more trigger point injections. Fischer, a doctor of physiatry, specializes in rehabilitative medicine. Ratliff said the injections along with exercises have lessened his pain and improved his flexibility and strength.

Ratliff will not return until he can be reasonably confident that once he takes the floor he will not be bothered by lingering pain and need another stint on the inactive list. He started two games early this month before realizing he couldn't be effective playing with pain from a bulging disk. He doesn't want to spend this season shuffling between the lineup and inactive list. Ratliff also said surgery has not been mentioned; he can perform everyday functions, just not play basketball.

"I feel a little bit better," said Ratliff. "I'm continuing to do my therapy and stuff. I'll see my doctor this weekend and get some more treatment. I'll just continue to pray for the best. It's a slow process and they told me it was going to be slow, so I've just got to bear with it. You have to take your time and do what is necessary to get back out there.

Kendrick Perkins, meanwhile, continues to battle plantar fasciitis in his left foot. "Right now with Perk, it will be probably no practice and just playing games," said Rivers. "For a guy at this point in his career, that's probably not the best thing. But it's better than not playing."

Rivers also noted that Michael Olowokandi's adominal tear is "slow-healing" and that he doesn't expect the veteran back soon.

Before the game, Paul Pierce held court on a number topics. On Rivers seemingly tightening up the rotation, with Rajon Rondo out of the mix: "It will help as far as playing consistent. Guys are going to get a chance to get into a rhythm, know how many minutes they're going to get every night. I think that helps." On boos at the Garden: "It doesn't bother me because I'm so zoned into the game. I can't control that. When it happens, you've got to be able to brush it off. You've got to have thick skin when stuff like that happens." On Ben Wallace defying Chicago Bulls team rules by wearing a headband: "I think it's something blown out of proportion. He should be allowed to wear it. He's an NBA veteran. He's a champion. If you've been doing something for so long, why change it? If I don't have one, I feel naked without it." . . . When asked if the Celtics took too many 3-pointers (19), especially considering the costly misses from the arc late in the game, Rivers said he didn't know. But he could certainly live with shooting 10 for 19 from 3-point range. "I think I'll take that," said Rivers. "Anybody else not take that? But you know me, I don't love threes. But they were wide-open ones [for the most part]." The Nets were 4 for 11 from 3-point range . . . New Jersey outscored Boston, 50-34, in the paint.