Celtics coach Doc Rivers has taken the blame for the fatigue of forward Paul Pierce recently.

"That was a bad job by me," Rivers said after playing Pierce for all but 18.5 seconds of Sunday's game against Detroit. "I've got to get him out no matter what, even if we're losing the lead."

Pierce averaged 41.1 minutes per game in the month of February.

"I probably played too much last game," Pierce conceded Monday. "I felt it after the game and today."