01:00 AM EDT on Friday, April 29, 2005

BY JASON L. YOUNG
Special to the Journal

INDIANAPOLIS -- When Doc Rivers looks across the court and sees the Indiana Pacers team, there is no doubt in his mind that the Pacers have something his Boston Celtics don't: a leader.

"Reggie Miller is the leader of the Pacers, there's no doubt about that," Rivers said before last night's game. "He's the main leader and he is the leader. We have several guys with the ability to lead and will lead at different times."

With a roster full of inexperienced players -- the Celtics' average age is 23 -- the position to take over as the leader for Boston is open. But Rivers isn't worried about putting a 'C' on anybody's jersey. He never bestowed the honor in four years with Orlando and he's in no rush to do it in Boston.

The Celtics added another member to their captain-by-committee stable after Antoine Walker joined the team at the end of February. When Gary Payton, who was part of the trade to Atlanta for Walker, returned to the Celtics, it gave Boston two players with at least eight years of NBA experience. Ricky Davis and Paul Pierce have both been in the league for seven years but the experience-level plummets after that.

"I just watch at halftime and before the game," Rivers said. "Whoever goes to the huddle then that's who the captain is. You can give a guy a title (but) the players are going to tell you who the leader is and who they're going to follow.

"I don't know if Antoine is the leader. He's one of the leaders and Gary's a leader and Paul's a leader and Ricky is a leader at times as well."

If not a leader, Walker has undoubtedly been a boost for the Celtics. He led Boston in scoring seven of the 29 games and in rebounding 15 times since he arrived entering last night's game. The team won 19 of those games.

A deficit to big

The Celtics pregame notes tout the 22 comebacks they have made in either the fourth quarter or by winning in overtime. Only three times has Boston been down by at least 10 points and just six times by more than five.

The Celtics were down by 12 entering the fourth last night.

There is still hope

Before Boston fans despair too much following the Celtics' loss last night, keep this in mind: The last time Boston split the first two games of a best-of-seven playoff series at home and then lost the third game, the Celtics won the NBA title. Boston split at home against the Los Angeles Lakers in 1984, dropped Game 3 before winning three consecutive to claim the championship.

Not his usual self

Ricky Davis' left hand is still bothering him. He suffered the injury during practice two weeks ago and it was aggravated earlier in this series. Davis struggled from the field in the first half against the Pacers, shooting 1-of-6 in 14 minutes of play. He got his only bucket on a tip-in off a missed 3-pointer attempt from Payton in the late in the second quarter.

An outside big guy

Raef LaFrentz, despite being listed as a center and being 6-foot-11, has never been one to hang out near the basket. Rivers said it's best not to pressure LaFrentz into anything.

"You try to keep him in his comfort zone," Rivers said. "He goes to the three, I like him at the elbows, he's a better shooter there, but he does shoot the ball well so I will live with that."

LaFrentz' first successful field-goal attempt last night was a 3-pointer from the left wing that pulled the Celtics to within 55-44 with 11:54 left in the third quarter.