Reading between lines

WALTHAM -- Kendrick Perkins doesn't care much for reading his own stat line in box scores. The Celtics center has developed another method for evaluating his play, a checklist to separate the good from the bad.

"Doc [Rivers] says when I have a mind-set of going in and doing my role and letting the game come to me, I'm a much better player," said Perkins. "If I have over four assists, the other team's best player in the post shoots a low percentage, Paul [Pierce] has a good game, Al [Jefferson] has a good game, and the other team hasn't scored over 90 points, I've done my job."

In the Celtics' 95-87 victory over the Raptors Monday night at TD Banknorth Garden, Perkins held Chris Bosh to 15 points (5 for 19), Pierce led Boston with 23 points (8 assists), and Jefferson followed close behind with 22 points and 9 rebounds. Check, check, check, check.

The only category in which Perkins came up short was assists. He finished with two, not four, but considering the way he has passed the ball in recent practices, it won't be long before his assist total rises.

Although Perkins takes the most pride in his defensive skills, his passing ultimately may set him apart and prove particularly valuable to the Celtics. Perkins modestly credits the team's offensive scheme for putting him in position to be an effective passer. It is common to see him at the upper corner of the paint, waiting to deliver a pass to a teammate cutting toward the basket. Perkins did just that when he found Pierce for an easy dunk early against Toronto.

"With the offense that we have, it makes you be a better passer," said Perkins. "At first, I used to throw a lot of turnovers. I just started getting better at it. Doc puts us in a position where the bigs have to make the right pass."

Rivers sees virtually unlimited potential for Perkins as a passer.

"He's better than a good passer," said Rivers. "He can, at times, be a great passer -- when he gets the thought of being a scorer out of him and he wants to be a picker and a passer. We've got to get it from practice to the game, where he's still thinking about being a ball mover. I think he's finding out when he becomes a passer, he actually gets the shots a lot.

"Basketball is about accepting roles. I tell Perk every day, if he accepts his role, he'll be as important a player on our team as anyone else because we need what he does."

Most of all, the Celtics need Perkins on the floor for defensive leadership. It is another area in which he makes contributions that don't necessarily show up in box scores. Perkins regularly directs his teammates to the correct defensive position.

He wants to be "a missing piece of the puzzle for a team, a person who is going to do all the dirty work, set all the screens, make all the right passes, and just score when I get a chance. A player who just goes out and gets it done and is not really playing for stats and stuff like that, just going out and playing hard.

"I want to be a defensive presence and a defensive stopper. I think you need that to win because every winning team has one. I know the game and certain rotations. I can tell people where to go on defense. I can holler when they're not in the right spots or fuss at them. I know how to push people out to rotate to certain men. I pretty much can direct people in defensive rotations. It's just one of my strong points."

One on a growing list.

It should come as no surprise that Paul Pierce might not meet with doctors until after the season. Pierce prefers competing to sitting on the sideline, especially when he knows that his younger teammates benefit from having him on the floor.

"Eventually, I'll see the doctor," said Pierce. "I'm the type that will get a cut and not wear a Band-Aid."

Asked if he may wait until the season is over, Pierce said, "Possibly."

At this point, the strongest possibility is that Pierce will finish out the season in uniform, take some much-needed time off, then work hard over the summer in Los Angeles to regain the strength and conditioning he lost because of a stress reaction in his left foot.