ALTHAM - Flash back to March 30. That night's game between the Celtics and Pacers was as close as the FleetCenter has come to hosting playoff basketball. The Celtics entered the contest with a one-game lead on Indiana for the eighth and final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference.


But the Pacers won the game, caught the Celtics, gained the momentum, and went on to secure the playoff spot.

While tonight's Celtics-Pacers game lacks the late-season implications of that matchup, Antoine Walker, Paul Pierce & Co. do not forget or forgive easily. After practice at the Sports Authority training center yesterday, it sounded as if the Celtics were back fighting for a playoff spot, the regular season winding down instead of revving up.