Doc's checklist

All is well in Celtic world once again.

Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce are back. Jeff Green is now a starter. It appears that it's all systems go from here on out for the Celtics. For Doc Rivers and his coaching staff, the rest of the season serves as an opportunity to check off some things that should be on their personal check list.

Here's a breakdown of what Rivers and company need to do in the days leading up to the playoffs:

1. Head into the playoffs HEALTHY: Health cannot be stressed enough with this team. It's all about health with this group. Whether that means resting Garnett and Pierce the rest of the way, then so be it. But this team can ill afford to have someone go down now. Boston's pitiful 13-25 road record is a bit concerning with the Celtics not having homecourt advantage, but Rivers and GM Danny Ainge would put health over seeding and homecourt every day of the week.

2. Regain chemistry: It was clear during Sunday night's game that the Celtics have to work out some kinks with their chemistry on both ends of the floor. Communication on defense should improve with Garnett's return, but the other four players need to readjust to Garnett's presence. With this new starting five and the new guys (Jordan Crawford and Shavlik Randolph) vying for minutes, it is important for the Celtics to find some practice time over the next two weeks to work out any chemistry issues they have.

3. Make this new starting five comfortable: Once again, Rivers has a fine line to walk in this regard. He needs to find the right balance between rest and playing time. When Rivers permanently inserted Green into the starting five last week, it gave the Celtics their 20th different starting lineup. The quintet of Green, Pierce, Garnett, Avery Bradley and Brandon Bass have played together at various points during the year, but getting them on the same page right from the tip is going to be an adjustment.

4. Figure out the rotation: The starting five is set, but the bench is not. There are still plenty of questions to be answered. Can Chris Wilcox be reliable in the playoffs? What should Doc do with Shavlik Randolph? Is Jordan Crawford deserving of Rivers's trust? These next five games should provide answers to all those questions. Jason Terry and Courtney Lee are locks, but who else will be in the mix?

5. Stay put: Hey, the guy said it himself. When asked if he preferred to stay in the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference, Rivers responded, "“Of course we would...Listen, I’m not that dumb. I’m not the brightest guy but come on. Really, you would love to avoid anyone [like Miami]." The C's hold a one-and-a-half game lead over the Milwaukee Bucks for the seventh spot. The Bucks have six games remaining, and their opponents have an average winning percentage of .536. Meanwhile, three of the five opponents on the Celtics' schedule have records better than .500, meaning the Celtics can't just stop playing. They have to continue to win as many games as they can and lock up that seventh spot. If I were Milwaukee's head coach Jim Boylan, I would try my hardest to get my team out of the eighth spot to avoid Miami.