The Boston Celtics bench has been a reliable contributor during the NBA finals, so far.

And it's about to get even more important.

With starters Kendrick Perkins and Rajon Rondo both unable to finish Game 4, and Paul Pierce also injured, the Celtics will be relying on their reserves when they try to close out the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 5 tomorrow night.

"We're not in great physical shape, there's no doubt about that," coach Doc Rivers said yesterday, when he gave his players a day off to celebrate their rally from a 24-point deficit to beat the Lakers, 97-91, and move within one win of the NBA title.

"I think our guys are mostly gamers," Rivers said at the Lakers' practice facility. "It's amazing going through this. That's part of it. It's a lot of physical and mental things that you have to go through, and we're going through it."

Perkins left the game Thursday night, clutching his left shoulder after slamming into Lakers forward Lamar Odom early in the third quarter. The Celtics said Perkins had a strained left shoulder, and he didn't return to the game.

Rivers said yesterday that Perkins has a 50-50 chance "at best" of playing in Game 5 tomorrow night.

"When I first saw it, I didn't like what I saw," Rivers said. "Obviously the injury he had last night could be significant, and we don't know the results yet. But that's clearly not looking great right now."

Rondo bruised a bone in his left ankle in Game 3 and didn't practice before the fourth game. He started Thursday, but played only 17 minutes before going to the bench for good with 7:06 left in the third quarter.

"The fact that Rajon tried to go last night, again, was phenomenal," Rivers said.

But the fact that he finished with only five points and two assists meant that Rivers had to rely upon Eddie House, who as the third-stringer behind Rondo and Sam Cassell had played minimal minutes since Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals.

House played 25 minutes Thursday night — his most in more than two months — and his 11 points included a pair of 3-pointers and some key baskets.

Pierce, who sprained his right knee in Game 1, went to the floor late in the game while trying to keep Kobe Bryant from spoiling the Celtics' comeback. Pierce said he "tweaked" his knee, but spokesman Jeff Twiss said the Celtics captain rolled his ankle.

"I'm feeling kind of sore," Pierce said Thursday night. "Rajon is hurting, Perk hurt his shoulder, so I think these two days will be great for us to recuperate from our minor injuries and try to suck it up on Sunday and end this thing before things get worse."

HAWKS

COACH WOODSON SIGNS TWO-YEAR EXTENSION

Rick Sund's first two weeks as general manager of Atlanta convinced him the team is moving in the right direction and should keep Mike Woodson as coach.

Woodson, who in his fourth season led the team to its first playoff berth in nine years, has signed a two-year extension, Sund announced yesterday.

"What I really felt was that each year the club had improved and got better," said Sund, who was hired as general manager May 28.

"One of the goals was by year four to sneak into the playoffs, and they were the youngest of the 16 playoff teams, and they represented themselves pretty well in the playoffs."

Woodson's record is 106-222, but the Hawks' win total has improved in each of his four years. They ended the NBA's longest playoff drought this season, when they were 37-45 before stretching the Boston Celtics to seven games in a first-round series.

LAW AND ORDER

WOMAN BARRED FROM CONTACTING JORDAN

A Pennsylvania woman who says Michael Jordan fathered her child despite two DNA tests to the contrary has been barred from contacting the basketball great, his family or his representatives.

Judge Gordon Miller on Thursday granted the permanent injunction against Lisa Miceli. The 35-year-old woman from Meadville, Pa, says Jordan fathered her 4-year-old son.

Earlier this year, Jordan filed a lawsuit to enforce a 2005 agreement that required Miceli to stop contacting him after a pair of DNA tests that year proved he was not the boy's father.

Jordan's attorneys asked for the injunction, saying Miceli has continued to send hundreds of e-mails and make telephone calls to Jordan and his representatives.

ELSEWHERE

Cavaliers: LeBron James will be the only Cleveland player going to China this summer. The Cavaliers have declined permission for center Zydrunas Ilgauskas to play for Lithuania in the Olympics. Cavaliers general manager Danny Ferry said the 7-foot-3 Ilgauskas is a higher-risk player because of his injury history.

Jazz: Utah forward Matt Harpring had surgery to remove two bone spurs from his right ankle. The Jazz say Harpring had surgery Thursday in Atlanta. The team wasn't sure how long Harpring's recovery would take. He just finished his 10th season in the league, averaging 8.2 points and 3.2 rebounds.