Celtics say intensity must rise vs. Heat in Game 2

Allen said he did not work out Tuesday, which is a rarity.

“In my predicament, I’m only going to do myself further damage,” Allen said.

Rivers said the Celtics will stick with Allen, making it sound like the decision was made partly out of respect to the veteran guard _ who made it clear that he wants to play _ and made partly because Boston simply doesn’t have many more options. The Celtics put Allen back in the starting lineup midway through the second round against Philadelphia because Avery Bradley went down for the season with a shoulder injury.

“Ray is Ray, and we’re going to keep rolling him out there and see what we can get,” Rivers said. “If we feel he can’t give it to us, we’ll go with someone else. But I think right now you have to give Ray a fighting chance every time.”

Miami was in trouble against Indiana about a week ago, trailing 2-1 in the series and losing at halftime of Game 4 in Indianapolis. Since then, Wade and James have been brilliant, and the trend continued in Game 1 against the Celtics.

“For us, we’re playing great team ball, especially in the fourth quarter,” Wade said. “We’re not playing as much hero ball that we played last year. We’re getting off the ball. We’re penetrating. We’re trusting each other a lot more. It comes with time. In the fourth quarter we believe in each other, and that’s been a success for us.”

Said James: “Everything we’re getting has been coming out of the offense. We’re not forcing.”

The Celtics sounded like they want to make the Heat start forcing things soon, getting Miami out of its current rhythm. Otherwise, the Heat could find themselves halfway to another East title banner by the close of business on Wednesday night.

“It’s got to get more physical from our part,” Celtics forward Paul Pierce said. “We’ve got to show better resistance. We thought it was way too easy for them in Game 1. They got very comfortable. Hopefully in Game 2, we can make it a little bit more uncomfortable for them.”

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