Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and everybody else will be available tonight for the Boston Celtics, which is nice. But Doc Rivers wishes the NBA had not scheduled the banged-up Celtics to play Games 1-4 with just one day’s rest before each game. (CLNS Radio)

“I was surprised, honestly,” Rivers said of the schedule. “I’m sure Doug (Collins) was surprised as well. Hell, Miami and Indiana have been off — they’re playing on Sunday. What surprised me more was the first four games, every other day. I couldn’t have prescribed a worse solution for us. I don’t know about Philly, but for us. I was very surprised by that. But like I told our guys, nobody cares. You just have to go play, and that’s just the way it is.”

Maybe the NBA should have given the Celtics a little more rest time. But — and I don’t mean to sound whiny here, though I fear I might — do you know what else would have given them a little more R & R? Showing up for the first three quarters of Game 5 against the Hawks.