Even before the Celtics defeated the Raptors Monday night, the coaching staff had decided to give the team yesterday off. Jim O'Brien wanted to make it clear that the rest was not a reward, but a necessity for a team starting a stretch of 10 games in 17 days.


Besides, the coach does not look to reward or punish his players based on the result of a single game. He prefers to work with a plan, and listen to his players, particularly cocaptains Antoine Walker and Paul Pierce.

Knowing when to ease up on players and when to push them harder is part of what has made O'Brien a successful coach. It also has earned