Ray Allen: Rajon Rondo's Suspension Will Render Allen's Status vs. Hawks Moot

Boston Celtics shooting guard Ray Allen has been battling painful bone spurs in his ankle that kept him out of the team's Game 2 loss against the Atlanta Hawks. Whether he plays or not in Game 2, though, point guard Rajon Rondo's suspension will lead to another Hawks victory.

According to Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald, Allen is a game-time decision tonight despite being limited in practice the past couple days. There is no doubt that Allen is an important player for the Celtics as he averaged over 14 points per game and shot nearly 46 percent from beyond the arc during the regular season, but Rondo is a much bigger loss.

Boston's star point guard was suspended for Game 2 after being ejected in Game 1 for bumping an official. It was obviously an ill-advised move by Rondo as it puts his team in a precarious position if the Hawks are able to capitalize.

Rondo did it all for the Celtics this season as he averaged nearly 12 points, 12 assists and five rebounds per contest. He truly was the straw who stirred the drink on offense for the Celtics and he was a great defensive presence as well. Mickael Pietrus will fill in for Rondo in Game 2 and that puts Boston at a great disadvantage, particularly on the offensive end.

If Allen plays it will help the Celtics' offense a bit as the threat of the outside shot will be more apparent, but it seems highly unlikely that he'll be able to play to the level he's accustomed to. He'll most definitely have value as a decoy, but I have a hard time believing that the offense will have any type of rhythm without Rondo in the fold.

The Celtics were torn apart by forward Josh Smith in Game 1, and Allen isn't going to have any bearing on that. Also, Hawks point guard Jeff Teague played well as he dropped 15 points. Pietrus, Avery Bradley and Keyon Dooling will be charged with the task of keeping the lightning-quick Teague ahead of them, and that will be the true issue.

For as much attention as Allen, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce receive, it's hard to argue against the fact that Rondo is now the team's most important player. He may not be a great shooter and there are some limitations to his game, but he knows how to get to the basket, put his teammates in a position to score and create offense with great defense.

Whether he's healthy or not, Allen isn't the type of player who is going to have that type of impact on a game. He can shoot, but that's about it. You have to wonder how much the bone spurs in his ankle will affect his shooting as well, since coming down from a jump shot promises to be quite painful.

As great as it is that the Celtics have a ton of playoff experience, it appears as though their age is beginning to catch up with them a bit. That is exactly why Rondo couldn't afford to do what he did in Game 1. Bumping the official was a selfish and stupid move by Rondo, and no matter what Allen's status is, it will put the C's in a 2-0 hole heading back to Boston.