Of all the things the Boston Celtics have to work on before facing the Indiana Pacers in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series Tuesday, being more physical might top the list.

Pacers All-Star forward Jermaine O'Neal might argue otherwise, and he has the butterfly bandage on the corner of his right eye as proof that the Celtics were plenty physical.

But Celtics point guard Chucky Atkins didn't see it that way. He warned his teammates that the Pacers would be out to inflict the first blow and that they wouldn't hesitate to deliver it.

That's what Rick Carlisle-coached teams do, he reasoned.

Sitting in front of his locker after the game, Atkins issued another warning to the rest of the Celtics.

"(The Pacers) definitely played more physical, but that's to be expected from a Rick Carlisle team," said Atkins, who played two seasons under Carlisle in Detroit. "We've got to correct that and come back and put some hits on those guys."

"We obviously have to defend the paint a lot better, and when that ball hits the floor, we've got to come up with it," Atkins said. "We've got to give a lot more harder fouls because they really attacked us and kept us on our heels, especially in the second quarter."

First-time playoff participant Jiri Welsch didn't necessarily agree with his veteran teammate.

"From the get-go, the play was pretty physical. Much more so than during the regular season," said Welsch, who managed six points and six rebounds in 30 minutes. "Both teams wanted to set the tone and show each other that they're not going to get pushed around.

"Indiana's got some physical players, so it's going to be a whole series like that."