EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Doc Rivers was angry when Glen Davis got called for a flagrant foul in the third quarter of Monday night’s loss to Atlanta, and he was ejected with two technical fouls for his reaction.
Yesterday the coach was “stunned” upon learning his actions had earned him a $25,000 fine from the NBA, which rescinded Davis’ flagrant 1 penalty.
“I mean, they admit that the freaking call was wrong,” Rivers said before the Celtics [team stats]’ 111-87 rout of the Nets. “Yeah, that’s the first thing they said, ‘The call was wrong. Obviously we made a mistake.’ ”
Rivers said earlier in the day that he would appeal the second technical foul, but before he could get a word in, the league ruled.
“Of all the fines I’ve ever had, this is by far the most disappointing,” he said. “I just don’t get this one. I watched a couple of coaches last week run out on the floor and no fine. I get fined for being right.”
Rivers then joked, “I think it’s my relationship with Rasheed (Wallace). I’m going to blame everything on him from now on. If you keep company like that, then . . .”
As for the reason behind the fine, Rivers said, “I didn’t want to hear the explanation when they called, honestly. I was not in the mood. They said I stayed out on the floor too long or whatever, which I didn’t do. I didn’t swear. I kept saying, ‘It’s an awful call.’ So I’m perplexed. I was perplexed at the time, so I still am.
“I wish I had (done something more demonstrative), I really do. I really wish I had done a break dance or something.”
Rivers will look into appealing the fine through the Coaches’ Association.
Sheed out
Wallace wasn’t in uniform for the laugher against the Nets, but the word on his sore left foot is encouraging. He could play tonight against the Bulls.
“It’s still day-to-day with Rasheed,” Rivers said. “I think maybe a week, but it could be (tonight) he could play. I mean, the good news is it’s not as bad as we thought, which is great. So it is day-to-day. He’ll be back soon.”
Wallace said he suffered the injury in the last quarter of Sunday’s win against Toronto.
“It got really sore,” he said. “I still had to play on it, but after the game I iced it down. I’m going to take a couple of days off to let the swelling go down.
“It comes with age. It’s a normal basketball injury. It’s nothing out of the ordinary. It’s just joints flaring up . . . nothing real serious.”
Green trash
Ray Allen wasn’t surprised Kevin Garnett was atop the Sports Illustrated poll of the NBA’s biggest trash-talkers, or that Wallace and Paul Pierce [stats] also made the top five.
“Even when we’re competing against each other there’s a lot of trash-talking,” he said. “That’s just who we have, who we are as a team.” . . .
Brian Scalabrine led the Celts with 11 field goal attempts last night. “Really?” he said, looking at the stats. “I’m going to frame that.” . . .
It’s been interesting to hear the Celtics [team stats] tiptoe around the fact associate head coach Tom Thibodeau didn’t make a substitution after Rivers’ ejection Monday.
Looking at the fact Pierce, Kendrick Perkins [stats], Allen and Rajon Rondo [stats] all played more than 42 minutes, Rivers said, “That won’t happen. I mean, that’s just too many minutes.”
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