Celtics coach Doc Rivers was peppered with questions on the health of starters Paul Pierce and Kendrick Perkins during this afternoon's media sessions. Here's a bit of the Q&A:

Just some housekeeping stuff about Paul and Kendrick. How did they appear to you today?

"Not great, so we'll just see, would be the answer. Perk, you know, I think it's a high ankle sprain, which is never good. But he'll be ready for Sunday. And Paul, we'll see."

I mean, you're never comforted by a fact when a guy is injured, but are you comforted by the fact that you have at least a couple extra days?

"Yeah, it helps. Obviously it's nice not playing until Sunday. That gives both of them time to heal. I expect both of them to play, honestly. I just don't know how much they can give us yet."

Back on Paul, what did he tell you this morning?

"Well, he didn't have to tell me a lot. I talked to him, though, and just watching him walk, you can see he's -- it's tender, it's still, it's swollen a little bit. You know, no structural damage, which is good news."

He had a test?

"Yeah, so pretty much in that way we're good."

What are you going to do with him today?

"We're not going to do anything anyway. We're going to watch film today and shoot free throws. I don't think he could play today, to be honest. But you know, he'll be ready by Sunday."

Did Paul have to go to the hospital or anything else last night to get a further checkup?

"I actually don't know the answer to that question. Our team doctor is here. We have all the gadgets here as far as I know. I'm assuming we do. So I don't know if he had to or not. I never asked the question."

And also, Paul said after the game, someone was asking him about getting treatment in the locker room and those few minutes he was out, and he said, man, it can't be over like this. I think God just sent this angel down. You're going to be all right. You need to go out there and show them what you've got. Phil showed a little skepticism toward that today. He said, I don't know if the angels visited at halftime or what, he didn't even limp when he came back out onto the floor. I don't know what was going on back there. Was Oral Roberts there in the locker room?

"Whatever it takes (laughter). Whatever it takes. All I know is he came back out on the floor and played, and I'm good with that."

What do you think of any skepticism toward his injury?

"Oh, I don't care. Aren't we skeptics anyway now about everything? So what the heck; let it begin (laughter). Let it begin. Lee Harvey Oswald did it (laughter)."