Celtics find bench is giving way

EDDIE HOUSEJob is to ''be solid''

Flash back to last June. Second quarter. NBA Finals. Game 6.

The Celtics lead was 32-29.

Their lineup was Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, James Posey, Glen Davis, and Eddie House.

It all started when Posey hit a 23-footer on the wing. Then House found himself a shot from the same distance, only in the corner.

After House hit a pair of free throws, Posey came back to that same corner and drilled a 25-footer.

The Celtics went on a 10-0 run off bench points alone. The lead stretched from 3 points to 13 because of the reserves. The starters came back in and pushed the lead to 23 by the end of the quarter, and at that point, Lakers coach Phil Jackson said, he stopped keeping track of the scoreboard.

His team, he said, was "emotionally buried."

The Celtics had put their fists to the Lakers' feelings, and the bench got in the hardest blows.

Right now, the Celtics have the best record in the league, they've ripped off 19 straight wins, the closest team to them in their division is 12 1/2 games back, and the overwhelming feeling is that they can't get much better.

But the company line is that there are more than enough ways to improve.

After blowing out their third straight opponent Tuesday night, Kevin Garnett pointed out how.

Last June, the reserves were the ones who killed the Lakers when it mattered most.

Now, Garnett said, "We give teams life."

The bench started the season as the Celtics' bailout plan. They inherited double-digit deficits in seven of the first 10 games and in most cases they found a way to right the ship as the starters were finding their way.

Over the past month, they've come into games with double-digit leads and let them slip away. The second unit's top job is to protect a lead. It's something those players have struggled with over the past few weeks.

"We've got to get better," said coach Doc Rivers. "That's been no secret. We've had some games where our starters haven't played well and our second unit has come in and won games for us. Then we've had games where we've had big leads and lost them. We've just got to be more consistent, and that's what we're working on."

There's typically a point when Rivers decides to put five reserves on the floor.

Against the Knicks last Sunday, that point came with a 21-point lead and 11 minutes left in the half. Each time a starter checked back in, he found the lead was smaller and smaller. By the time Kendrick Perkins returned, it was down to 13, and by the half it was down to 8.

The consequences trickle down.

The goal is to get the starters as much rest as possible, but Rivers has had to put them on the floor to rebuild leads. Even though Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen are playing similar minutes to last year, memories of 36-minute playoff games are still vivid.

"I think come playoffs you have to rely on your bench," said House. "You can't have your starters playing heavy minutes, especially like we did last year playing seven with Atlanta and seven with Cleveland.

"You've got to try to get guys as much rest as possible, and that's our job, to come in and be solid and get guys rest when they build up a big lead or if they have a lead and we build up a big lead keep them on the bench and save their legs for the postseason."

The diagnoses vary. Brian Scalabrine said it's about finding an identity. Leon Powe said it's about chemistry. Rivers chalked it up to youth, and said it was mostly about finding consistency.

Pierce said it had to be a change in mind-set. And it starts with defense.

"When they come out here and they're offensive-minded, I think that's where their focus is and I don't think they play well," Pierce said. "I think a lot of times we get all offensive and when things aren't going all right with the second unit, it kind of carries over to where we're not playing defense, either.

"So if they can just concentrate on rebounding and defense and being able to just play solid basketball, that's all we really ask.

"I think they're making strides. I think they play well in stretches but just continue to improve like the starters. We're trying to improve and we're going to continue to encourage them."

Forward Glen Davis, who sustained a concussion and strained his neck in a recent car accident, made the trip and had a light workout yesterday. It's still uncertain whether Davis will play today. He has been bothered by headaches, according to team spokesman Jeff Twiss . . . The Celtics arrived in Los Angeles at 4 a.m. Pacific time yesterday and had the day off. The Lakers arrived in Los Angeles at 1:30 a.m. after playing in New Orleans Tuesday. They are coming off a four-game, five-day road trip and had a shootaround early in the afternoon.

Marc J. Spears of the Globe staff contributed to this report.