Ray Allen Not Looking Forward to Resting Period

The aging Celtics have four days between Games 2 and 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals, something Ray Allen isn’t exactly happy about. From the Herald: “There is a strong urge to play Game 3 immediately. The Celtics, with a 2-0 series lead over Orlando in the Eastern Conference finals, can smell blood like never before. But for the second straight round, the Celtics have to wait a postseason eternity – three full off days – before beginning the home leg of the series. ‘I would rather play,’ said Ray Allen. ‘When you have two or three off days, you start to think of things like, oh, the closet needs cleaning.’ Back on May 7 in the Garden, a little too much of that closet dust got in the way. LeBron James opened with a 21-point first quarter and the Cavaliers ran off with a 124-95 win that was the worst playoff loss in Celtics history. That night also turned out to be an anomaly. The Celtics were the dominant team in their second-round win, closing out the series in six games and winning twice in Cleveland. And now they have won twice in Orlando. It’s the first time the Magic lost back-to-back home games this season, and the Celtic mission is clear: No one wants to return for a Game 5, save for the wounded Magic. ‘We still have to put our hard hats on even though we’re going home, because home isn’t necessarily a place where we’ve played well all year long,’ said Paul Pierce. ‘We have to keep the same intensity.’ And that’s a challenge for a team that finished the regular season with a better road than home record.”