BOSTON -- When Celtics head coach Doc Rivers visited Boston patriarch Red Auerbach in his hospital room several weeks ago, he kept telling the Hall of Famer that he had to make sure he would be at Opening Night.

It wasn't really a bet they made, the former coach and the current one, but since Auerbach made good on his promise by traveling to Boston yesterday for the Celts' first game, Rivers owes him.

The currency? "Wins," Rivers said.

Now 88, Auerbach appeared a bit gaunt as he sat before a microphone to address the large media contingent that had gathered to hear the iconic man, known for his fondness of cigars, speak. Over his shirt and tie was a white sweater with the Celtics' logo embroidered over his heart. He wore a gold Celtics watch and had one of his 16 NBA championship rings on his left hand, and he walked with the aid of a green cane.

Auerbach came to Boston yesterday from Washington, D.C., where he had been hospitalized for an intestinal blockage, fluid in his lungs and a stomach abscess. He was accompanied by his daughter Nancy and her husband, as well as two of his doctors.

His body might be showing its age, but Auerbach's mind is not.

On this year's edition of the Celtics, he said, "They're an aggressive young team. They've got enough old guys to keep them stable, but they're going to play with a lot of body and a lot of heart. And I think they'll be competitive."

On Paul Pierce's standing among the greatest Celtics players: "I think he stands in with them. I really do. The (John) Havliceks, the (Frank) Ramseys and the Sam Jones and all those guys -- he's right in there with them. In my opinion, he's a Hall of Famer."

On Los Angeles' Phil Jackson, who is tied with Auerbach with nine championships as a coach: "Phil is obviously a good coach. You don't win that many games without being a good coach. Remember one thing: He's been very fortunate. He picks his spots."

On New York coach Larry Brown: "Larry Brown is a great coach. Probably the best coach in the NBA today, excluding (Rivers). He gets the most out of his players. He'll have them hustling and scrapping and fighting the whole year."

On whether his doctors have told him to give up his beloved cigars: "Well, we won't go into that."

Opening Night jitters

Even though he's now a coach, Rivers still looks forward to Opening Night. He doesn't get butterflies, as he did when he was playing, but he still gets excited.

"As a player, you worry about yourself: Are you ready? But as a coach, you worry if everyone's ready, so it's different," he said. "I think you're far more nervous as a player (than) you are as a coach. As far as the butterflies, I think you have those more as a player. But I love it. I love the first day; I think every team goes into the first day with great optimism and then the season plays out, and at the end there are four or five teams that are happy. It's a grind, but it's a great grind."

Playing the first game of his eighth pro season last night, Pierce said he doesn't feel the nervousness he once did, but told the younger players that any jitters are normal.

Rookie Orien Greene, who has gone from 53rd pick in the draft -- normally a longshot to make a team -- to backup point guard, said he slept "a little bit" on Tuesday night, and acknowledged that suiting up for the Celtics is quite different than getting ready for a game with his college team (Louisiana-Lafayette).

Slam dunks

The three inactive Celtics followed the new NBA dress code very well last night. Tony Allen wore a suit while Marcus Banks and Gerald Green wore blazers and jeans. . . . One-time media darling, inspiration for a doll in his likeness and four-time All-Star Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway, 34, was one of the three players on New York's inactive list to start the season. The 6-foot-7 guard, once one of the players tabbed as the "next Michael Jordan," played in just 37 games last season because of a hamstring injury, averaging 7.3 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2 assists.