BOSTON - Atlanta guard Mike Bibby called Boston fans "bandwagon fans" when the two teams met in the opening round of the playoffs last season, prompting Boston center Kendrick Perkins to say, "Coming off a 2-for-10 shooting performance, you expect a guy to say something like that.

"We have the best fans in the world, but we don't expect other players to like our fans."

That started a war of words between the two.

"I don't know where [Perkins] got this tough streak from," was Bibby's response to Perkins. "His stat line was worse than mine. Until he does something in his career, for him to come at me like that, it kind of upsets me."

The Celtics ended up beating the Hawks in Game Seven.

When asked last night whether he wanted the media to deliver another message to Perkins, Bibby simply said, "Who?"

Bibby also said he didn't regret calling the Celtics' fans bandwagon fans, and that his statement, which fired up the Boston faithful, made the games more fun to play because he likes playing in a hostile environment.

"I think it made for a fun series," Bibby said.

The sellout crowd inside the TD Banknorth Garden booed Bibby nearly every time he touched the ball last night.

Credit the Hawks

While many NBA experts think Boston isn't as good as it was last year after Atlanta took the Celts to seven games in the opening round of the playoffs, Boston guard Ray Allen said last night that the experts weren't giving the Hawks enough credit for being a good basketball team.

Atlanta entered the playoffs with the worst record among the playoff teams (37-45) but beat Boston in all three of the games it hosted in the opening round.

"Atlanta was a good team despite what its record was," Allen said. "I wasn't following them throughout the whole season, but despite what their record was, they were determined to be one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference and they showed it in the first round. If they played that way all year, we probably wouldn't have met them in the first round. ... They pushed us to the brink."

The slow-start syndrome

The Celtics are making a bad habit out of starting games slowly.

Last night was just the latest example.

For the seventh time in their nine games this season, Boston was outscored in the first quarter, this time by the tune of 31-24 by Atlanta.

"We are turning the ball over a lot and we've missed a lot of free throws," Allen said. "We pass the ball and we get great shots, so we just have to continue playing the way we've been playing and the shots will fall for us.

The slow starts in games haven't had too much affect on the season so far."

The Celtics have outscored their last four opponents, 129-87, in the second quarter thanks in large part to the play of their bench.

"The second unit has played great for us," coach Doc Rivers said.

Boston outscored Atlanta, 27-20, in the second quarter last night.

Pierce's hand no big worry

Rivers said he wasn't too concerned with team captain Paul Pierce's playing with a strained right hand.

"I only worry when [athletic trainer] Eddie [Lacerte] comes to me and says, 'Hey, you should worry,' and he hasn't done that," Rivers said.

When asked whether Pierce has had an MRI on his hand, Celtics vice president of media relations Jeff Twiss shook his head.

Rivers said that he didn't think Pierce had an MRI, but he wasn't certain.

roblee@projo.com