Celtics won't sit Allen in Game 2
Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers told ESPN.com Tuesday he was considering sitting Ray Allen for a game during the Eastern Conference finals, but apparently Allen talked him out of that notion later Tuesday.
"My trainers and I discussed (taking a game off)," Allen told ESPNBoston.com, "but I really, really do not want go that route. Just put me out there and let me do the best I can."
Rivers had thought about giving Allen a game off to allow the painful bone spurs in his right ankle to improve. But later Tuesday, Rivers told reporters, he wouldn't sit Allen in Game 2 in Miami on Wednesday.
"Not yet," Rivers said. "We're good. Ray is Ray. We're going to just keep rolling him out there and see what we can get. When we feel like he can't give it to us, we'll go with someone else. But I think right now, you have to give Ray a fighting chance."
Allen went 1-for-7 and scored just six points in 39 minutes against the Heat in Game 1. He's averaging 9.6 points per game in the postseason, and he is having trouble on defense as well.
Allen said the ankle has been getting worse recently. "The last three or four days have been pretty painful," he said.
Rivers has to decide when to take Allen out of the game.
"It's just a decision you make in the game," Rivers said. "It's a tough one, but you go into the game and you watch. It's just going to be that way. It's not the easiest thing to do. It's obviously hard for Ray. I'm sure there will be a time when I take him out and he's going to be feeling great. It's just something you see.
"I don't think he has his balance. You could see it on his (missed) free throws, or he's falling forward or kicking his leg out on every shot. When you watch Ray, he's up and down -- if you drew a square box, usually Ray always lands in the box. Right now, he's all over the place -- leaning, going sideways, falling forward. It's somewhat of a balance issue, but it's all created by the (ankle) issue."
