Something is amiss as struggles continue for Allen
It was the kind of moment when you expected No. 20 to be on the floor. A 7-point Celtics lead had dwindled to 3 with 4:39 left in Game 7, and Celtics guard Ray Allen was on the bench.
During timeouts, Allen was hovering and listening as coach Doc Rivers addressed the team. It wasn't until 2:20 remained that Allen saw his first action of the quarter. He came in for Rajon Rondo with the Celtics protecting an 89-88 lead.
The only points for Allen at that point had come on a second-quarter jumper. He did convert two big free throws with 18.8 seconds left in the game to extend the Celtics lead, 93-88, but his offensive production was minimal.
He was 1 for 6 from the floor and 0 for 2 from behind the 3-point line. His 4 points came in 29:32 of action, his fewest minutes of the series.
Rivers said the numbers weren't there, but he was satisfied with Allen's performance.
"I thought Ray was great tonight," Rivers said. "He had a couple of open shots but they were few and far between. They trapped him every time he had the ball. You know all he did? He made the next pass."
Against Cleveland, Allen averaged 9.3 points, shot 33 percent from the field (20 for 61) and hit only 4 of 24 3-pointers.
After the Celtics' 97-92 victory, Allen didn't hang around to address the media, but earlier in the series he had said the key to getting out of his slump will be to keep on shooting. His teammates agree.
"[A slump] is tough," forward P.J. Brown said. "He's been such a great shooter his whole career, but we all go through it. We're not immune to it. We just have to keep fighting and keep cracking. You got to get in practice and get your reps in.
"It'll come back. I have complete faith in him. If I didn't, I wouldn't have chose to come here. He's one of the biggest reasons I decided to come. So he's going to be OK. Most importantly, we got the win."
Allen is the third piece of the Big Three, joining Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. Allen arrived via a trade from Seattle last June, and once Garnett followed, it was thought the Celtics had the core of a team that could become a champion.
The Celtics were able to dispose of the Cavaliers yesterday, but they again did it without much offensive output from Allen, who averaged 17.4 points and drained 39.8 percent of his 3-pointers during the regular season.
In the first-round win over the Hawks, Allen averaged 16.1 points and shot 40 percent from the 3-point line (18 of 45).
But against the Cavaliers, Allen has struggled. He was held scoreless in Game 1 and managed 9 points in Game 6.
Rivers said he is not concerned with Allen's slump.
"I told Ray before the game, 'What happens if you don't take another shot in the entire playoffs and we win the world championship because they're going to double you? You're so valuable if that's what they're going to do because it's going to open the floor for everybody else,' " Rivers said. "I thought Ray had no problem with it. He's going to be better."
Monique Walker can be reached at mwalker@globe.com
