NBA Playoffs 2012: What the Celtics Should Do About Ray Allen

The Celtics have been faced with far more than their fair share of adversity this year. Injuries have weakened the Celtics all season. Now, it seems that the current injury to Ray Allen may be the injury that dooms the Celtics.

There is no denying that Ray Allen is hardly the same player as he was a few months ago. His ankles have gotten the better of him and rendered him virtually useless on the court. A healthy Ray Allen wouldn't shoot 1-7 from the field and 3-7 from the line. 

Unfortunately though, that is exactly the performance the Celtics got from a hobbled Ray Allen last night. It is sad to watch because Ray isn't doing anything wrong. He's trying his best out there. But with bone spurs in his ankle, his best is not nearly good enough. 

No matter how hard he works to get open for shots, he's not hitting them, and his ankles are to blame. His struggles are getting into his head too and that could be the cause of some of his free throw troubles. To be honest though, I don't even know why he's missing free throws.

I find it highly unlikely that his ankles are to blame for that too. I mean, Ray makes free throws in his sleep and besides, ankles aren't that important in a stationary shot like a free throw. But Ray's 3-7 outing at the line isn't even his most alarming statistic of the game. 

What is most astonishing is that he played 39 minutes. I understand that the Celtics have relatively no depth to speak of at the shooting guard position, but a 36-year-old with bone spurs should not be playing 39 minutes, especially when he's ineffective.

If they want Ray to be more efficient, the Celtics need to limit his minutes. They could put him on a five-minute plan similar to Garnett's. That way, Ray won't need to stress his injury for the majority of the game and will be more rested in the fourth quarter.

In Game One, he was tired at the end of the game and Wade took advantage. At the beginning of the game though, when Ray was not tired, he actually did a pretty decent job at containing Wade. 

By playing Ray less, Mickael Pietrus will inevitably get more minutes and that could be a good thing for the Celtics. Pietrus is more athletic, a better defender and a better rebounder. Also, with Ray hobbled, Pietrus becomes a better three-point option. 

When Pietrus plays the three, Keyon Dooling can also give big minutes at the shooting guard position. 

Both Pietrus and Dooling need to step up, and with bigger roles and more minutes, they should be able to. And even if they are can't step up, they will still be providing valuable rest time for Ray Allen. Perhaps with more rest time, Ray can play better when it matters most. At this point, that is really all the Celtics can hope for.