Doc Rivers has shot to coach East

ORLANDO, Fla. - While Paul Pierce [stats] and Rajon Rondo [stats] found out about their All-Star selections yesterday, Doc Rivers and his staff still had some work to do before learning if they’d be coaching the Eastern Conference in the Feb. 14 game near Dallas.

The coach of the conference leader gets the job, but Cleveland’s Mike Brown is ineligible because he went last year. That means the team with the best non-Cavaliers record in the East at the end of this weekend wins.

Rivers is profoundly ambivalent.

“I always say I’ll take the honor, but I think we all would rather have the rest,” he said before the Celtics [team stats] lost to the Magic, 96-94, last night. “I don’t think there’s a coach alive who wouldn’t rather have that. I don’t know if there’s any other way to do the All-Star thing. I’ve always thought it’d be nice to actually give everyone a break and then have the game, but I don’t think that’s ever going to happen.

“But for coaches, the honor is nice. It means your team is playing well. But other than that, you’d rather have the break.”

Close to ready

Marquis Daniels (left thumb surgery) is on the trip and working out.

“He’s getting close, so that’s a good sign,” Rivers said.

Though the talk is Daniels will return on the western swing after the All-Star Game, the coach would like to get him in the rotation as early as Feb. 10.

“If we can get the New Orleans game in, that would be terrific,” Rivers said. “That would give him a game before All-Star break to try to get his legs and get some type of rhythm, then come out of All-Star break and we’ve got our whole team intact for the first time this year.”

High visibility

The Celtics have gotten in some laughs on the self-taken naked photos of Greg Oden that have shown up on the Internet. But the players do take seriously the ability of people to take camera photos of them that could be unflattering or taken out of context.

“I think as I’ve gotten older, I’ve become more responsible, and I understand that part of it,” said Pierce. “I mean, it’s that age where, as us being professional athletes and us being in the limelight, that’s what you’ve got to expect.

“When you go out of the house, when you go to restaurants, when you go to bars, when you go to clubs, it’s a video and camera world we live in today. You’ve got to just be responsible and know that what you represent and the things that you do are going to follow you if you’re in the wrong.”

Hitting back

The Celts are rather amused at the Magic calling foul on the treatment of Dwight Howard.

On the subject of Kendrick Perkins [stats]’ physical defense, the Orlando center was quoted in yesterday’s Herald as saying, “A lot of guys are physical. Just certain guys get away with physical play.”

Rivers rolled his eyes.

“We don’t have Howard rules, I can tell you that,” he said, referring to the Pistons’ old Jordan rules. “We just go out and play one-on-one defense. We have big guys. We have guys who are very good defenders.

“I literally get a kick out of all the people being physical with Howard (talk). Clearly people are looking one way. Howard gives out far more punishment than he gets. I can guarantee you that. I actually giggle when I hear all Howard’s getting-hit talk. I mean, it’s a joke to me. The guy hits more than anybody in the league, so if you’re going to give it out . . . That’s the way we look at it.”