Pierce gives ankle mild test

Paul Pierce, who intends to practice with the Celtics for the next three days, hopes to wear a more familiar uniform soon. (BARRY CHIN/GLOBE STAFF)

During warm-ups last night, Paul Pierce spent 35 minutes testing his injured left foot, taking shots, and joking with teammates.

The casual session constituted the most basketball work Pierce has done since being sidelined by a stress reaction Dec. 21. He hopes to practice today at the Celtics' workout facility in Waltham and return to action next week, though he could not pinpoint a specific game. Pierce has not been cleared for full-court, full-contract practices, figuring today's workout will consist primarily of drills.

"I feel pretty good," said Pierce. "I'll probably come back and try to practice these next three days and see how it goes, see how I feel next week. Hopefully, I can get some kind of action sometime next week. Probably at practice won't be anything I can put a judgment on because it probably won't be a hard practice. We'll see come Sunday and Monday. I can shoot and I've been cleared to do a lot of drills right now, see how it feels, take it slow."

The Celtics have three tough games next week, starting Tuesday at Detroit. The Heat and former teammate Antoine Walker come to town Wednesday, and Pierce would like a chance to face Walker, Dwyane Wade, and Shaquille O'Neal. "That would be great to come back [to]," said Pierce. The most likely return date is Friday against the Nets, giving Pierce extra time to work out.

"To me, basketball is like riding a bike," said Pierce. "I don't worry about a shot [missed] in warm-ups. I already know it's going to be back once I start the game. It's hard to say right now [how my conditioning is]. I could probably ride with Lance Armstrong on a bike. But as far as getting up and down the court, who knows?"

Pierce worked up a sweat shooting around last night, taking 3-pointers and free throws. He playfully challenged Wally Szczerbiak to a one-on-one, but Pierce did not put a lot of pressure on his left foot, such as planting for a strong cut or a strong first step. Pierce did some light shooting at shootaround, where coach Doc Rivers observed the captain putting "full pressure on his foot."

"I'm hoping [he can play] soon, but I don't know," said Rivers. "But hearing him talk today, it sounded promising. I didn't check after he said it because I knew he wasn't going to play today and I have other worries. We have three days off. I have enough time to check in the future."

Gerald Green has been selected to participate in the All-Star Slam Dunk contest, an industry source confirmed yesterday. The official announcement will come Monday, and Green said he did not want to comment until then. Green is the only player representing the Celtics during All-Star festivities. Although Rivers did not know Green was in the dunk contest, he said, "It's not a big deal to me. I don't think I've watched it in I don't know how long. It'd be great for him. In some ways, you'd like him to rest, but any of that stuff is healthy and good as long as they stay healthy." On the dunk contest in general, Rivers said, "None of the [big] guys anymore get in it, the Kobes. That would be the one everyone would watch, with Kobe [ Bryant], LeBron [ James], Vince Carter. It'd be great. Put their egos on the line. Like with Spud [Webb] and Michael [ Jordan] and Dominique [ Wilkins]. The interest it caused was amazing. And it was personal. They wanted to beat each other. It was very personal in those dunk contests. Dominique was furious when they robbed him in Chicago [in 1988]." . . . Rivers said it would have been a stretch for Pierce to make the All-Star team as a reserve, even if he wasn't injured. "I think his play would have clearly warranted All-Star," said Rivers. "But with our record, it may have still been tough for him to get on." . . . Rivers on the Clippers: "No. 1, Sam Cassell is healthy. That guy, nobody talks about, and he does it year in and year out. Every team he leaves, they get worse. Every team he goes to, they get better. You can see the difference with Cassell and without Cassell. They miss his spirit. He makes big shots all throughout the game. I think that's the main reason. He's playing every night now and he's back."

Rivers switched up the starting lineup, teaming Ryan Gomes, Brian Scalabrine, Al Jefferson, Rajon Rondo, and Delonte West for the opening tip. Kendrick Perkins and Green moved to the bench. Although he likes the new starting lineup, Rivers was quick to add that nothing is permanent with this team. Only Jefferson and West are definite starters. It turned out to be a change good for Rondo, who tied career highs with 23 points and four steals, and West, who recorded a career-high 11 rebounds and tied a season high with 11 assists. The last player to record a double-double without reaching double-digits in points was Walker, who posted 7 points, 10 rebounds, and 14 assists against the Wizards April 6, 2003 . . . The reconstituted Celtics' bench was outscored by the Clippers, 37-15. "I thought the bench didn't really bring the effort tonight, including myself," said Perkins. "The first team played with a whole lot of effort tonight. Rondo played great. [The bench] didn't come in with the right focus, the right attitude, and it cost us the game.". . . Elton Brand set a season high with 19 rebounds.

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