In the comfort zone

RYAN GOMES Amazing defense

WASHINGTON -- The theme throughout this dreadful stretch for the Celtics -- 14 losses in 16 games, with the San Antonio Spurs on tap tonight -- has been that those who have stayed healthy, and have been able to contribute, are going to benefit in the long run.

One could argue that Ryan Gomes already had established himself as an every day NBA player before calamity struck. But since the Celtics have gone into a weapons-grade descent, Gomes has re established himself to the point that coach Doc Rivers will have a decision to make when Paul Pierce and Wally Szczerbiak come back.

Namely, does he keep the productive, efficient Gomes at small forward, which is where he's been playing lately, when Pierce returns? Or does he move him back to power forward and bring Kendrick Perkins off the bench?

"I don't know," Rivers said. "I don't know defensively how good that'll be. I will say, to Ryan's credit, I think defensively he has been amazing. If we get healthy, I like that you can use him at both spots. It makes us more versatile. It gives us an opportunity at the end of games."

Gomes played power forward last year and only recently moved to small forward when Rivers decided to start Al Jefferson and Perkins together.

Saturday night against the Wizards, however, Perkins spent most of the night on the pine as Rivers went with a small lineup that basically had Gomes back at power forward. Gomes responded with a career-high 31 points in the Celtics' 115-110 overtime loss.

Asked about the position change, Gomes said it wasn't that big a deal.

"The main difference is defense, where I have to guard small forwards and, in this league, those guys are usually the other teams' best scorers," he said.

"When I played [Ron ] Artest [Friday night], it was a very physical matchup. We were battling for everything and that is the kind of player I'd like to become. He's tough to guard when he gets the ball in scoring areas and he can either face up or he can back you down."

Last year, Gomes was basically ignored for the first half of the season and then found his niche as an undersized power forward. He played well enough to make the All-Rookie second team, not bad for the 50th overall pick.

"Last year, he never got comfortable at the [small forward] spot and changing him to a full- time [power forward] helped him," Rivers said. "He's far more comfortable this year. Last year, he never got comfortable at that spot and changing him to a full - time 4 helped him. Now, I think this is helping him because he can play two spots."

Gomes's previous career high was a 29-point game against the 76ers March 8, 2006. His high for this season had been 22 points against the Knicks Nov. 18.

The Celtics had the day off yesterday. Rivers remained in the D.C. area to take his son, Jeremiah, a Georgetown freshman and basketball team member, out to dinner after the Bears-Saints game. Rivers, a Chicago native, is a big Bears fan . . . Sebastian Telfair logged only seven minutes against the Wizards, matching his season low. He also played seven minutes against the Jazz Nov. 10, but that was because he had shortness of breath and had to be taken to the hospital. Rivers said Rajon Rondo has outplayed Telfair and deserves the extra minutes. "Over the last three or four games, Rajon is doing a good job of running our team and he does so many things for us that he's allowed to stay on the floor," Rivers said. Added Rondo, who went 33 minutes against the Wizards, "I'm starting to feel really comfortable out there and Coach is starting to show a lot of confidence in me." . . . Old friend Bruce Bowen makes his only Boston appearance of the season tonight. After starting last night against the 76ers, Bowen increased his consecutive-games streak to 396, the longest active streak in the league. Bowen has started all of those games . . . Just in case you may have forgotten, San Antonio is 17-0 in its last 17 games against the Celtics and 23-1 in the last 24 . . . Saturday night's game was the second overtime affair for the Celtics this season. They won the first one, 110-108, over the Charlotte Bobcats, at home Nov. 8.

Peter May can be reached at P_May@globe.com.