Allen would answer if call were to come

CLEVELAND - When the final votes were tallied in 2007, Ray Allen trailed seven Western Conference guards for a spot on the All-Star team. He then was bypassed by the coaches - perhaps because of Seattle's dismal record - and prepared to spend his first All-Star Weekend in years away from the game.

Then came injuries to Steve Nash (shoulder) and Allen Iverson (ankle), and soon commissioner David Stern was summoning Allen to Las Vegas. Allen was an All-Star for the seventh time, scoring 12 points in 21 minutes, as the West beat the East, 153-132.

Could the same thing happen this year? Allen was not chosen by the fans (who selected Jason Kidd and Dwyane Wade) and again was bypassed by the conference coaches. But with Kevin Garnett ailing, Allen may receive another call from the commish.

"If that was the case, I would accept, of course, no question," he said.

Allen and Hedo Turkoglu of the Magic are the logical choices for Stern should any of the Eastern 12 not be able to play. Garnett missed his fourth game last night with an abdominal strain and conceivably could be held out of the All-Star Game to ensure his well-being for the tough Western trip that follows. If Garnett does not play, the Celtics would almost certainly warrant a second selection, and Allen is the obvious choice.

"I think he deserves to be there anyway," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers, who will guide the Eastern team. "And I'd rather have him spending the time with me. Plus, he plays golf."

Said Allen, "That's how I went last year, and you never turn it down, no matter how it comes."

He said he wasn't concerned about losing any downtime should he get the call.

"You learn how to get your rest anyway," he said, "and it's like you're doing something every single day. I'd find a way to rest, regardless."

Gut-check time

Paul Pierce showed up for last night's game with a stomach bug and looked a little wobbly leaving the arena. He took a seat on the bench just 4:51 into the game, and had a towel on his head and a trash can in front of him (never a good sign). He ended up playing 35 minutes and scoring 19 points. On his way out, he said he thought he might have what Ray Allen had last week in Miami. You don't want to go there, other than to note that Allen spent a night in the hospital. "I didn't know what we were going to get out of him," Rivers said of Pierce. "Obviously, now we're concerned about [tonight]. That's going to be a tough one for him as well." . . . The New York Daily News had a dicey item about Garnett and Sam Cassell dining last night in Boston, with Garnett trying to persuade Cassell to come to the Celtics. That would have been hard unless Garnett has a body double or it was a late, late meal in Chinatown (and Chinese wouldn't be KG's first choice) because Garnett was with the Celtics last night. He and Cassell were teammates in Minnesota, and Cassell is now with the Clippers, who are going nowhere. The Celtics wouldn't mind if the Clips bought out Cassell, making him a free agent.

Caving Cavs

It was a tough night for the Cavaliers. Already without Anderson Varejao (ankle) and Sasha Pavlovic (foot), they lost Drew Gooden to a right groin strain early in the third quarter. Additionally, Ira Newble got whacked by teammate Zydrunas Ilgauskus and needed four stitches to close a cut by his right eye . . . Rivers said he's not sure Garnett will travel to Minnesota Friday, when it's unlikely that he'll play. "We'll cross that bridge when we get there," Rivers said. "He may go. He may not go. He doesn't want to be a distraction to the team and there, he could be. Kevin is such a great team player. He doesn't want it to be about him and he knows there that it would be. And it should be." Rivers said Garnett was "improving quickly. Having said that, we're still going to wait." He said it was possible that Garnett might play Sunday against the Spurs.

Fast break

Yesterday's Akron Beacon Journal reported that LeBron James had to fork over $259 in fines and court costs after pleading no contest to speeding on Dec. 30. James was stopped after doing 101 m.p.h. on Interstate 71 on the night of his 23d birthday and entered the plea on Monday in Medina Municipal Court. He avoids a court hearing that had been scheduled for next Monday . . . Ray Allen, Pierce, and Rajon Rondo were a combined 18 of 23 from the field in the first half - and 6 of 18 in the second . . . Scot Pollard also made the trip, but not to play. He has a sore left ankle and hasn't played since a 10-minute stint Jan. 9 against the Bobcats . . . Dana Barros, the Celtics director of player development, accompanied the team on the trip.

Peter May can be reached at p_may@globe.com