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PHILADELPHIA -- Celtics shooting guard Ray Allen rolled his ailing right ankle in the second half of Monday's Game 5 triumph over the 76ers, but said he's ready to go for Wednesday's Game 6 in Philadelphia.

Allen, who missed the first two games of the postseason due to bone spurs in his right ankle, jumped back into the starting lineup Monday with Avery Bradley sidelined by shoulder issues. Allen said he tweaked the ankle that night, but took himself out of the game and prevented it from getting worse.

"I rolled it; It feels good now, though," said Allen. "I don’t have any concerns. I was glad I took myself out when I did because I gave it a chance to calm down."

Echoed coach Doc Rivers on the injury: "It is what it is. He’s a go right now."

Allen said these are the type of situations he puts all the offseason work in for, so that his body will stand up when the games matter most.

"I believe that I'm a tough person," he said. "I believe my body is tough. You go through these things where you’re testing it out."

A few other leftover notes from the team's morning shootaround:

* Celtics rookie center Greg Stiemsma aggravated a longstanding foot injury in Monday's Game 5 win, but said it wouldn't keep him off the court. Added Rivers: "He said he feels much better today and he’ll definitely play. He’d be the definite of the (injured guys)."

* Before talking about Stiemsma, Rivers had already deemed Bradley questionable and acknowledged Allen's rolled ankle. When a reporter asked if there was anybody else ailing, Rivers quipped, "Not that I know of. But I don’t ask, because I might get an answer."

* Asked about Larry Bird's comments that his Pacers team was "soft" in Tuesday's loss to the Miami Heat, Rivers noted, "The last time he did that, Kurt Rambis had that famous clothesline. So if I’m Miami, I’d watch out. Listen, whatever works. But you don’t want it to get taken to some of the level of play in yesterday’s game, I thought some of that was -- there’s nothing wrong with hard physical play, I love it, I think it should be allowed more. But, nothing where it has a chance to injure a player. That's not good."

* Rivers was asked if he wanted his team to remember any part of the Game 4 loss in Philadelphia where Boston fumbled away an 18-point second-half lead. "Whatever gets them better," said Rivers. "I don’t stick on stuff much. Listen, there's nothing you can do about it. There were lessons to be learned, and it wasn’t us letting up, it was us losing our composure. But whatever helps you. If reading a book helps you, go read a book. I don’t care. Go golf, do whatever you need to do. But just be ready."

* Ray Allen on the difficulty of a closeout game: "It’s the hardest one to get if you take that mentality that you have to win. Just like anything else, when you've go to do something, and you put too much pressure on yourself to have to succeed. My approach is to go into it, just pay attention to the small little details of your job -- everybody does their job -- and the rest will take care of itself."

Celtics shooting guard Avery Bradley (sore left rotator cuff) participated in some aspects of Boston's morning shootaround, but remains a game-time decision for Monday's Game 5 of an Eastern Conference semifinal series, according to the team.

Bradley, who the team originally Tweeted was the only player not on the floor for the Celtics during their walkthrough at HealthPoint, was later clarified to have been on the floor during the session. Bradley dislocated his shoulder for the third time this postseason during Friday's Game 4 loss in Philadelphia and despite staying in the game that night, he also sat out Boston's practice session on Sunday.

Last week, Ray Allen missed a shootaround, but still played that night. If Bradley is unable to go Monday, it would likely thrust Allen back into a starting role.

For more on Bradley's shoulder woes and the team's concern, hop HERE.

PHILADELPHIA -- After a light offday Thursday, the Celtics reconvened on the court at Wells Fargo Center for a morning shootaround in advance of Friday's Game 4 of an Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Philadelphia 76ers. A handful of notes from morning access:

* For the first time in a while, health didn't dominate the conversation. It's pretty much assumed at this point that all the dinged up bodies -- including Paul Pierce (left MCL sprain), Ray Allen (right ankle bone spurs), and Avery Bradley (sore left rotator cuff) -- will be playing through their aches and pains. All 15 guys were on the floor as the team prepared to launch into shootaround.

* Pierce did sport a bulky stabilizing brace over his left knee. Boston's captain, who has clearly grown tired of the questions about his health and has lately resorted to saying he's fine, clarified that he is unlikely to wear the brace during Game 4. Pierce politely suggested it was strictly precautionary by noting, "Well, when I first hurt (the knee) it was in a shootaround, why have another accident at shootaround?" Pierce suffered the MCL sprain when he tripped over a teammate's foot before Game 4 of a first-round series against the Hawks.

* While health wasn't exactly in focus, Rivers did spend a lot of time talking about the team's decision this postseason to stay off the court on offdays, especially given the quick turnarounds with games staggered just about every other day. "Well, we’re just old," he quipped. "We’ve done that (each game), for the most part. With the way the series is constructed so far, we’ve yet to go on the floor between games. It’s just not enough time for recovery with our legs. If we were younger, we’d be able to do that, but with this team, we’ve learned through the season, they need days off."

Rivers was quick to point out that a day off doesn't necessarily mean the entire team is lounging by the pool with their Kindles.

"When we don’t practice, guys still work on their games," said Rivers. "We didn’t do anything yesterday, but Kevin was over there shooting. Guys, especially veterans, more than young guys, understand what they need to do to keep them in rhythm. I think for young guys, days off are bad, because I don’t think they get that. They think a day off is a day off, they don’t understand what gets you to the next day or the next game. And I think a lot of our veteran guys, if they need a day off, they take it off. Ray rarely takes a day off; he’s running somewhere -- down the street, riding a bike; Paul’s on the treadmill yesterday at the hotel. They just get their bodies. But they have the experience in that, so that’s an advantage for them."

* Rivers also noted that Garnett still got some shots up during the offday hoping to maintain his rhythm after a dominant Game 3 performance. When a Philadelphia reporter joked that 76ers fans will be thrilled to hear Garnett was working on his shot, Rivers laughed and noted, "Kevin’s a creature of habit. The one thing we do know, he reminds me a lot of Patrick Ewing, who I played with. Days off, even though he needed them, were bad, because it would take him out of rhythm. So they both would always go to the gym."

* While Rivers initially griped about the spacing of the first four games of this series, Pierce said it's actually worked out quite well, especially by avoiding the back-to-back games this round. "I think it’s great for us," he said. "We haven’t played particularly well in back-to-back situations; the two back-to-back games we came here (in Philadelphia during the regular season), we got blown out. I think it works to our benefit. Not having back-to-backs and not having long layoffs -- I don’t know how it goes down when we have three or four days off, but I kinda like the every-other day (schedule), it keeps us in a good rhythm."

A two-day break looms before Monday's Game 5 in Boston.

PHILADELPHIA -- Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers said he expects everyone to be available for Game 3 of an Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night at Wells Fargo Arena.

The Celtics on Wednesday engaged in a late-morning shootaround, their first on-court activity since a Game 2 loss Monday in Boston evened the series, but Rivers believes the off day might have helped his players on the short turnaround.

"Everybody’s good," said Rivers. "We basically took the day off (Tuesday) -- we watched a little film and met; other than that we didn’t do anything on the floor."

But since injuries are unlikely to get better at this time of year, particularly with the spacing of these games, it appears the Celtics are trying to will themselves through the pain. At one end of the visitor's locker room, Avery Bradley massaged his ailing left shoulder while telling reporters he plans to suit up Wednesday despite another dislocation in Game 2.

"I just gotta make sure I’m careful," said Bradley. "But I try not to think about it and just play. If it pops out, then it pops out."

When the prospects of offseason surgery came up, Bradley said, "I’m going to do whatever I need to do to get myself ready for next season. As of right now, I’m just rehabbing it, trying to get it stronger."

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WALTHAM, Mass. -- All 15 players participated in the Boston Celtics' morning shootaround before Game 2 of an Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Philadelphia 76ers, according to a team official.

That would suggest that, like Game 1, the Celtics should have everyone available. Paul Pierce (left MCL sprain), Ray Allen (bone spurs in right ankle), Avery Bradley (sore left rotator cuff), and Mickael Pietrus (swelling in right knee) are among the ailing on the Boston roster at the moment.

ATLANTA -- Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers said he expects all of his players to be available for Tuesday's Game 5 of an Eastern Conference quarterfinal series against the Atlanta Hawks.

The Celtics are dealing with nagging injuries to Paul Pierce (left knee), Ray Allen (right ankle), and Avery Bradley (left shoulder), but Rivers said he anticipates them all in their normal roles with a chance to close out the Hawks on Tuesday at Philips Arena.

"Everyone is going to play, I think," Rivers said before the team's morning shootaround at the arena. "Ray feels good, he’s probably the healthiest right now. Avery has to be feeling better because he got through the game with no injury, so that’s two more days of shoulder getting stronger. Other than that, everybody’s about the same."

Pressed on Pierce, Rivers said, "He’ll be ready, but obviously you don’t know once the game starts what happens. We've just gotta be ready for anything."

Later, Rivers reiterated how he did not even expect Pierce to play in Sunday's Game 4 win. Pierce sprained his knee tripping over a teammate's foot during a morning shootaround, then further aggravated the ailment in the first half of Sunday's game. Through it all, he scored a game-high 24 points over a mere 16½ minutes.

"Watching [Sunday's] shootaround, I didn’t think Paul would play the other night and then he does what he does," said Rivers. "It just shows you, we’ve talked about him before, he’s such a gamer, that’s what he is. But we had already kinda tweaked the lineup, preparing for him not to play. The fact that he played and played well, obviously, was a bonus."

Inside the Celtics' locker room, Bradley didn't hesitate when asked if he'd play Tuesday. He was able to grind through Game 4, then used the offday to further strengthen the shoulder that dislocated in Game 3.

"I think Avery’s probably improved a little bit more, because nothing happened during the two days off," said Rivers.

Rivers brushed aside the notion of having to "drop the hammer" against the Hawks with Boston up 3 games to 1 and looking for the knockout blow.

"We look at it as it’s important to play well," said Rivers. "And if you do that, then everything takes care of itself. If you get caught looking at putting the hammer and all that stuff down, you lose."

In search of a jolt, Hawks coach Larry Drew said his team will shuffle its starting lineup to feature Jeff Teague, Joe Johnson, Marvin Williams, Josh Smith, and Al Horford. That moves Kirk Hinrich and Jason Collins back to the bench and adds some bulk to the Atlanta lineup, particularly with Johnson shuffling down to the shooting guard spot.

"I just wanted to give us a different look and see it if will kinda jump start us a bit," said Drew. "It gives us an opportunity to move Joe back to some 2, it makes us bigger, so we can do a few more things defensively in making some adjustments in Game 5. And I just think it's time -- you play four games in the playoffs and, obviously it's a game of adjustments and you try to do things that will benefit the team. I think, at this time, down 3-1, it's time to give it a different look see it if will jump start us with Al and Marvin in the starting lineup... get us going."

WALTHAM, Mass. -- Celtics guard Avery Bradley (dislocated left shoulder) will be a game-time decision for Sunday night's Game 4 against the Atlanta Hawks, while Ray Allen (ankle) is expected to play, team officials confirmed after Boston's morning shootaround on Sunday at HealthPoint.

Bradley and Allen participated in the entirety of Sunday's hour-long session, along with the rest of the roster, which consisted primarily of half-court sets and minimal contact and running.

Bradley dislocated his left shoulder late in the third quarter of Game 3 on Friday and did not return. He finished with 5 points, 4 rebounds, and a blocked shot. Allen, meanwhile, returned on Friday following an 11-game absence due to ongoing ankle issues. Allen played 37 minutes off the bench during Friday's overtime win, scoring 13 points on 6-of-12 shooting.

ATLANTA -- Celtics coach Doc Rivers said shooting guard Ray Allen did limited work during the team's offday practice Monday, but that he would try to ramp up again on Tuesday and remains a game-time decision for Game 2 against the Hawks at Philips Arena.

Even still, it seems unlikely Allen will play. Rivers said he didn't even ask Allen or team trainer Ed Lacerte about whether the player had made any progress with a balky right ankle that's forced him to miss the last 10 games, including Sunday's Game 1 loss.

"I didn’t even ask [about Allen's health], honestly," said Rivers. "We didn’t do much yesterday anyway. We'll do the same thing -- we make two plans and if he’s ready to play, we’ll play him; If he’s not, we’ll go the other direction."

The Celtics will also be playing without suspended point guard Rajon Rondo, which will force the team to move Mickael Pietrus into the starting lineup alongside Avery Bradley, who will shuffle to the ball-handling role (though the team expects the offense to often run through Paul Pierce).

"It’s what it is," said Rivers. "We’re going to have to help [Bradley run the offense]. He has improved, obviously, at that position, but he’s more comfortable at the [shooting guard spot]. Paul will have to do some ball-handling duties to help out. We anticipate them pressuring him; That’s what they do to speed Avery up and we can’t allow that."

Hawks forward Josh Smith wasn't bashful in admitting that his team will try to capitalize on the absence of Rondo and the fact that Bradley is not a pure ball-handler.

"Do what he does to us," Smith said of pressuring Bradley. "He’s one of the great defenders in this league at his age, so we'll just see if he likes it a little bit -- picking him up full court, turning him a little bit, [and] making it hard for him to initiate the offense."

Smith again called Rondo the "head of the snake" for the Celtics, but said the key was not allowing Bradley to get his confidence up early. Game 1 was his first career playoff appearance and the absence of Rondo (and potentially Allen) leaves him with big shoes to fill Tuesday.

Rivers said the team might also utilize Keyon Dooling and rookie E'Twaun Moore at the point if necessary.

"Keyon and Avery will play together at times if we feel the pressuring is taking us out of our stuff," said Rivers. "That’s where losing Rondo hurts you. He's really our only true point guard. So that’s where that suspension hurts you."

Rondo remains in Atlanta despite the one-game suspension for bumping a game official that will prevent him from being on the court Tuesday. Rivers said the team is trying its best to simply move forward from the situation.

"It is what it is," said Rivers. "You make contact [with an official], they’re probably going to suspend you. Obviously, having one [game] means they thought about zero as well -- or two, you could go either way -- but it’s over now and we just move on."

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- A handful of nuggets after the Celtics engaged in a shootaround Friday morning at Power Balance Pavilion, where they visit the Sacrament Kings this evening:

* Doc Rivers preached throughout this West Coast trip that he believed the team would still be intact on Friday. That didn't stop him from joking about the situation when the team gathered for shootaround. " I told them I was surprised to see them all," quipped Rivers.

* Given Boston's penchant for making deadline moves, did Rivers expect a trade? "I thought we were going to get [Lakers stars Pau] Gasol and [Andrew] Bynum and Kobe [Bryant]. But they turned down the second-round draft pick that we offered," he deadpanned. "No, I didn’t think so. I really didn’t. I didn’t think we were going to do much."

* Rivers had one other one-liner in him. While explaining how he communicated with Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge during the deadline process, Rivers noted, "We didn’t talk a lot this year. That was the point I was making to guys. In years previous, we’ve had a ton of conversations. I could just feel that it was pretty quiet and we didn’t talk much. If we did, we talked about Marquette spanking BYU [in the NCAA tournament]."

* Rajon Rondo took a little jab at all the media coverage centered on him before the deadline, particularly those who opined on his demeanor while trying to explain why the Celtics might be interested in moving him. "I had fun with it," said Rondo. "Everybody was complaining about me, how my attitude is and stuff like that. I had fun listening to everybody’s opinion that doesn’t know me."

* While the future is a bit more clearer because the Celtics know their core will be intact, Kevin Garnett said the team wasn't looking too far ahead, especially knowing that an injury could be crippling to an already thin-on-depth squad. "You try to focus on what’s in front of you, try to focus on the priority, and the task at hand," he said. "I think we do a good job of that. I don’t really necessarily think about tomorrow. I hope that I wake up to see tomorrow, to be honest."

MIAMI -- Celtics coach Doc Rivers knows everyone is shoveling dirt on his team, but Rivers remains unwaveringly optimistic that his team will respond with its best effort with its back against the wall in Wednesday's Game 5 of an Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Miami Heat.

Boston is staring at a 3-1 series deficit, something only eight teams in NBA history have ever rallied out of, and teams that win three of the first four games in a best-of-seven series have a .960 all-time winning percentage.

"We had a good film session [Tuesday] and guys were disappointed with the way we played in Game 4," said Rivers. "They thought, as poorly as we played, in our eyes, we still had a shot to win the game in regulation. When you gift a gifted team 18 turnovers -- 28 points [off turnovers] -- in the playoffs, you’re usually not going to win that game. Everyone was just agitated with how they played, how they performed, and how they executed. And they should be."

The Celtics appeared to run out of gas in Monday's overtime session and Boston's aging roster is again in focus as some wonder if that window of opportunity is about to slam shut.

"The good news with us is that we were older when we got together four years ago," said Rivers. "We’ve been old for a long time, we’re going to continue to be old. We’re not going to get any younger, but we understand that. We understood when we put our team together and we talked bout it the year we won [a world title in 2008]. Everyone was saying it was going to take a year and I was thinking, ‘We don’t have that. You just don’t know with health.’ Unfortunately, I was right because we really haven’t been healthy since that one year.

"But they have great pride and I think you’ll see that. I think I’ll enjoy the way we play.”

Rivers did note that, at the end of the day, all the pride in the world won't help if the Celtics don't perform on the court.

"Pride is nice to have, it’s just like playing hard is nice," said Rivers. "You have to play hard and smart, and you have to have pride and perform. And we have to do those things. It’s more about our performance than anything inside of us."

A few more nuggets from shootaround:

* Rivers said he didn't know if point guard Rajon Rondo (dislocated left elbow) had improved much, health-wise, since Monday's Game 4 loss, but expects Rondo to start and be a factor in Game 5. "I have no idea [if he's feeling better]," said Rivers. "All he’s done is treatment. It's not like we’ve been on the floor. Honestly, I wouldn’t know. He’s moving better as far as walking and he's talking better. At least those are good things. I’ll know a little more after shootartound." Rivers said film review revealed that Rondo actually struggled more defensively, particularly trying to get over screens and allowing penetration, but believes the left arm injury didn't affect Rondo too greatly, offensively.

* Rivers on struggling Glen Davis: "We need him, but he’s been struggling for a while. It started before the playoffs and he's still in it. He had occasional [strong efforts], Game 4 in New York was terrific. And he had a four- or five-minute stretch [in Game 3 vs. Miami], so we have to keep going to him and see if we can get something out of him." Asked about what's going on in his mind, Rivers quipped: "I have no idea what's going on in his mind and I don't want to get in there."

* Asked about the final play of regulation that broke down in Game 4, Rivers again stressed disappointment in the lack of execution. "We didn’t have to break it down [on film], it was already broke down. We did it on our own. It was a bad play, bad execution all the way around. It shouldn’t have happened and it rarely happens with us. I was disappointed because we’ve only run that play 10 to 20 times, maybe. We just got to thinking too much. Every once in a while, and I always say that about our team, we get too smart and try to do something. 'Let’s do this, this time.' It doesn’t take but one guy, then all of a sudden, everything blows up and that’s what happened.”

WALTHAM, Mass. -- Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo is still listed as a game-time decision for Monday's Game 4 with the Miami Heat after suffering a dislocated left elbow in the third quarter of Game 3 on Saturday, but reserve point guard Carlos Arroyo confirmed Rondo participated fully in the team's morning walkthrough -- an encouraging sign regarding his status for the game.

Arroyo also said Delonte West, who suffered a bruised shoulder on Saturday, also participated and is expected to play.

"I think [Rondo's] ready to go," said Arroyo. "He's a warrior and he demonstrated that last game. We were all surprised, the fact that he came back after that injury. I know he's ready. He wants to play, he wants to win. And Delonte, he was banged up but he's ready to go. I'm always ready. I'm always ready for the challenge and obviously playing my old team would be even more motivating for me."

When reporters entered the team's practice facility Rondo was seen shooting free throws, but did not appear to be sporting any sort of sleeve or brace on the injured elbow. When Rondo returned to the floor on Saturday after suffering the injury, he played almost solely with his right arm, but Arroyo said he was moving his left arm more this morning.

"Yeah, a little bit," Arroyo said of Rondo moving his left arm. "It still bothers him. He's sore. It was a huge injury. But I know he's ready."

"He'll know how he feels more than me. But he's ready to go."

Arroyo said he has not spoken with Celtics coach Doc Rivers about being active for Monday's game.

WALTHAM, Mass. -- Celtics center Shaquille O'Neal went through the team's walkthrough Saturday morning at the Sports Authority Training Center at HealthPoint, which leaves him on target to participate in Game 3 of an Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Miami Heat.

O'Neal did not address reporters, but all indications are that he will come off the bench and participate in his first game action since April 3. O'Neal, hindered by right calf and Achilles injuries, has played a mere 5½ minutes since Feb. 1.

Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo addressed reporters and stressed that he remains confident in the face of an 0-2 hole.

"Yeah, of course," said Rondo. "If I didn't we'd be planning vacations right now. I don't have any plans."

NEW YORK -- Celtics coach Doc Rivers remained hesitant to offer a firm timeline on when ailing center Shaquille O'Neal might return to game action, but reiterated that he's moving closer to that goal by traveling with the team.

"I don't know the plan yet," said Rivers. "He's moving better. The fact that he's moving better, you just bring him on the road."

Pressed on what he'd need to see from O'Neal to have confidence to put him back on the court, Rivers quipped: "Make some 3's," before turning more serious.

"I don't know. Listen, he's just feeling better and he's closer. I don't know what he needs to show me. He's not ready to play yet, but he's getting closer. So the fact that he's getting closer, you bring him on the road."

In the portion of shootaround open to the media, O'Neal worked with strength and conditioning coach Bryan Doo, getting stretched out under one basket. O'Neal playfully did reverse push-up, lifting Doo up by his feet as he Boston's strength guru clung to the hoop upright.

Rivers again stressed that O'Neal simply is not ready for game action and there's no hidden game plan behind bringing him back.

"You need him when you need him; I'm not worried about that," said Rivers. "I'm more worried about getting him right and healthy. There's not strategic game plan for not playing him. There's a medical game plan for not playing him when he can't play. Once he can play, he'll play."

Rivers nodded when asked if there was still potential for O'Neal to appear in Sunday's Game 4, but O'Neal still displayed a limp while walking off the court. The 39-year-old center, limited to 5½ minutes of action since Feb. 1 with right calf and Achilles issues, wouldn't indulge a pack of reporters in health talk, but did provide a laugh when he stopped to introduce himself to a female staffer outside the visitors' locker room, saying, "Hello, Jermaine O'Neal, nice to meet you."

As for the real Jermaine O'Neal, he was sporting a hefty ice pack on his left wrist after the morning session, but said it's nothing to be concerned about.

"I wore a brace the last two days, just to protect it and make sure I didn’t open the door wrong and irritate it," said Jermaine O'Neal. "I feel fine. The swelling is down. It's one of those situations where, I took a charge and I put my hand back before I fell. It irritated [a preexisting injury] a bit. It's probably not going to have an affect on me."

Jermaine O'Neal tore cartilage in that wrist taking a charge in Toronto in the preseason. He aggravated the injury taking a charge from Amare Stoudemire in the fourth quarter of Sunday's Game 1 win, then further tweaked it at the start of Tuesday's Game 2 and needed to return to the locker room to ice the injury.

O'Neal played only 20:24 that night, including a mere seven second-half minutes, but stressed that the second-half floor time was valuable to helping restore Glen Davis' confidence and is not related to the injury.

* (For the latest on the Knicks' injuries, hop HERE).

CHICAGO -- The Boston Celtics invaded the Solheim Center on the campus of Moody Bible Institute for their morning shootaround in advance of Thursday night's Eastern Conference showdown with the Chicago Bulls.

Doc Rivers offered hefty praise of coach Tom Thibodeau and his troops, while Rajon Rondo did his best to avoid all chatter about Derrick Rose (invoking his "I don't talk about other point guard" rule). About the only real news from this morning was that reserve guard Von Wafer didn't travel with the team (Rivers suggested he was unlikely to play, so they simply kept him back home being merely a one-game trip). Boston still has 13 available bodies, including rookie Avery Bradley, who is likely to be the lone healthy scratch. Wafer was a healthy scratch Tuesday against the 76ers.

As for your daily Shaquille O'Neal Watch, Rivers reiterated that the 39-year-old center, who is now nursing a right calf sprain, won't play in either of the next two games, but there's still potential for Sunday in Miami.

"Definitely not tonight, unless he gets on his super plane and comes down," joked Rivers. "Other than that, not tonight and not tomorrow [vs. the Wizards]. Perhaps Sunday [vs. the Heat]."

Pressed for an update on O'Neal, Rivers said: "He's feeling better; doing great from what I hear."

LOS ANGELES -- Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic, acquired in Thursday's trade deadline shocker that sent Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson to Oklahoma City, took the floor with their new teammates for the first time during Boston's morning shootaround Saturday on the campus of UCLA in Westwood.

Green and Krstic logged some extra time with the coaching staff after the session, but beyond the crash course in Boston's philosophies, both expressed excitement about joining a championship-caliber squad.

"It’s an honor," said Green. "There's a lot of history behind the name that’s on this jersey. I'm proud to be a Celtic. I'm coming here to do the best I can, try to help this team out and win a championship."

Added Krstic: "It's going to be a great experience for me. I can learn so much from these guys. Hopefully we'll win a championship this year and I can go back to Serbia with a ring."

After passing their physicals Friday, the duo met with the coaching staff to start going over Boston's playbook. Even as they get up to speed, coach Doc Rivers said he'll toss Krstic into the starting lineup during Saturday's game against the Los Angeles Clippers, while Green will settle into his role off the bench.

"It's going to take some time, obviously, but we'll throw them in," said Rivers. "Jeff will take longer in some ways because he has to learn two positions, the 3 and the 4. We're going to throw them in there, throw them in the fire. Nenad will start tonight and hopefully he can figure it out on the fly. We don't have a lot of time."

Green said the pair were well received by their new teammates and is fully aware that chemistry may be the most important factor moving forward.

"They accepted me well," said Green. "I can already tell the tight bond, these are guys you go to battle with. It's important to have that relationship with each other and they welcomed me and Nenad with open arms."

Green laughed when asked about choosing jersey No. 8; Krstic will wear No. 4. Combined with Chris Johnson wearing No. 86 after being fetched from the NBA Development League on a 10-day contract Thursday, the new Celtics have all inherited former Celtics' numbers (Robinson wore No. 4; Erden wore No. 86, and Marquis Daniels had No. 8).

"Man, so many numbers are retired in Celtics' history," joked Green. "There wasn't a lot of numbers to chose from. Eight is a great number, I'll try to represent it well."

--DOC REJOINS TEAM DURING SHOOTAROUND--

Rivers, who flew to Chicago after Thursday's loss in Denver to be with his ailing mother, returned to the team Saturday morning midway through shootaround and will coach the team Saturday night.

"I’m good," said a flight-weary Rivers. "Things are getting better, so that’s good."

Rivers said he utilized 10 hours on a plane to watch game film of his two new players in hopes of figuring out how to best utilize them. He also logged extended time on the phone with Oklahoma City coach Scotty Brooks, both coaches offering advice to each other on how to best utilize their new faces.

"The best part was that one of their last game was against the Clippers," Rivers said of his marathon film sessions. "So, it was duel [tasks], I could watch the two new guys and scout the other team. I got to see what Jeff did well against [the Clippers] and integrate that into the [game plan] as well."

--KRSTIC THE STARTER UNTIL SHAQ IS READY TO RETURN--

Rivers indicated that Krstic will eventually slide into a reserve role, maybe as early as next week. Ailing center Shaquille O'Neal (inflamed right Achilles) is currently rehabbing in Orlando, but plans to return to Boston after the Celtics complete their four-game road trip Monday in Utah and could be available for action soon after.

"We talked and we want him to keep working out," said Rivers. "He’s doing great. We told him, 'Stay where you’re at. Keep working out.' He’ll meet us back -- when we get back to Boston, he’ll be in Boston and we’ll go form there."

Pressed on his return to game action, Rivers noted, "He may try to play when we get back."