Spring break for Celtics

"Don't call me. Don't see me," Rivers said after a 104-92 victory over the Hawks at TD Banknorth Garden. "That is what my players are telling me."

It was tough enough that the Celtics had a short summer after winning an NBA title. They also played on the opening night of the season, played on back-to-back nights six times before December, and only Toronto played as many games as they had entering the All-Star break. In addition, the Celtics have been stymied by injuries all season, most notably to Kevin Garnett, currently sidelined with a strained right knee.

But the Celtics' cursing of the schedule-makers has finally come to an end here in April. They are enjoying two days off and two practice days before playing Wednesday against visiting New Jersey. The Celtics will play their first road game since March 27 a week from today at Cleveland; they have only two road games the rest of the regular season.

"We just have a good schedule," Rivers said. "We earned it. Our first month was awful. They're paying us back now."

With five games left before the playoffs, the Celtics will have a chance to get solid rest, practice a lot, and spend time in their own beds. Keep in mind that even more time in Boston is on the horizon since the Celtics have home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

"At this point in my career, I just try to use the rest," said 31-year-old Paul Pierce, the only Celtic who has played in all 77 games. "I'll just take two days off. I think my body needs it.

"That's just growing as a player, getting older, getting smarter and understanding that, hey, we still feel like it's a long season, potentially two more months to play, so it's important to get our rest right now."

Ray Allen, 33, said, "Being able to sit home around the kids and be able to be in our own bed. The hotel bed became my home bed. So I have to readjust.

"It's that time of the year where you have soreness, just aches, the usual body [pains]."

While some Celtics were expecting to relax at home, others planned on still going to the gym.

"It's great I get to stay home, spend some time with my daughter - she turns 1," said Pierce. "We'll have a good birthday party with her."

Rajon Rondo, who has suffered injuries to both ankles of late, said, "I'm glad to get these two days off. I'm going to just chill at home and spend time with my family. That's it."

Celtics relative newcomers Stephon Marbury and Mikki Moore, however, say they will stop in the Waltham practice facility to get in some work on both offdays. Marbury had not played in an NBA regular-season game in over a year before signing with Boston Feb. 27. Moore is still adjusting to the Celtics as a team and Boston as a city since signing as a free agent Feb. 24.

"I'm going to go in and get some work in, keep working on it," Marbury said. "I'm getting there. I don't know how close I am yet."

Said Moore, "It's good for me because I can finally do some things with my family. I have a 6-month-old, so I got to ride around and find stores and find restaurants. So I'm probably going to do that.

"But I'm going to come in anyway. I don't have days off. I am going to come in and get shots up for an hour, hour and a half. I just got to get ready for the playoffs.

"I don't want any doubt from my team or myself. I'm probably the worst critic of myself. I got to continue to get my shots up so I can [shoot] at a high percentage."

Unfortunately for the Celtics, Garnett won't be back practicing when they get back on the court tomorrow. He was slated to return to action next Sunday at Cleveland, but Rivers said he doesn't expect him to return to practice this week, thus putting his return up in the air.

"Hopefully, we can get Kevin back practicing, not this week but right after that," Rivers said.