Chucky Atkins does not believe in tact or small talk or polite conversation. Cocktail parties, political conventions, and peace negotiations are not his thing. But put him in a huddle and let him say his piece and you have the playoff-bound Celtics.

"I'm the type of person who says what's on my mind, whether it be good or bad," Atkins said yesterday. "I'm not bashful. If I see somebody not doing what they're supposed to do, it's my job as a point guard to speak up. I even get on myself. Nobody is really exempt. You always know where you stand with me. There ain't no sugarcoating. I tell you the way I feel. We deal with it and that's that."

Executive director of basketball operations Danny Ainge may have his vision. But what the Celtics really needed this season was a voice. They missed the kind of in-your-face honesty Atkins provides, the kind of unedited criticism that was once the domain of Eric Williams and Antoine Walker.

"You look at all the good teams around the league, all the playoff teams, and everybody thinks the star of the team, the captain, is the one who has to show all the leadership," said Paul Pierce. "That's bogus. It comes in all forms. You've got a guy like Chucky who's well respected on this team. He's another veteran who's been through the wars. He's helped me out tremendously. He's eased a lot of pressure and helped me get my points across. It was what me and [Williams] and [Walker] all used to do, be a combination of leaders."