Celtics guard Ray Allen get shut down against the Heat? (Getty Images)
MIAMI -- Ray Allen labored while playing big minutes during Game 1, there was no question about that. But how Celtics coach Doc Rivers will handle his guard's minutes going forward seems totally up in the air.  

On Tuesday, ESPNBoston.com reported that Rivers said that he might sit out Allen -- who has been dealing with an ankle injury for weeks -- for a game during the ongoing Eastern Conference finals against the Miami Heat.
“It’s a tough call with him,” Rivers said Tuesday afternoon. “We’re trying to figure out a different minute rotation for him, maybe that will help him. We’re even considering sitting him for a game, getting him a longer rest and then playing him, and then sitting him for a game. We don’t know what the right thing is.” 
Later Tuesday, Rivers spoke to reporters at the Miami Four Seasons Hotel and said that the plan for Game 2 on Wednesday night was to continue starting him.

"We're going to just keep rolling him out there and see what he can give us, and if we feel he can't do it, we'll go with somebody else," Rivers said, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. "But I think that you have to give Ray a fighting chance, always."
 
Allen played 38 minutes and shot 1-for-7 in a Game 1 loss to the Heat, scoring 6 points, grabbing 5 rebounds and dishing two assists. His shooting numbers have been down throughout the playoffs and he struggled to defend Miami's All-Star guard Dwyane Wade, who finished with 22 points, 3 rebounds and 7 assists.

The Celtics are also without guard Avery Bradley, who underwent season-ending shoulder surgery last week. Should Allen be unavailable, Rivers would need to turn to Mickael Pietrus,Keyon Dooling and Marquis Daniels to fill the minutes.

Allen's health has clearly weighed on Rivers in recent days.

"He got a bunch of wide open shots tonight, with him, it's just balance," Rivers said during his postgame comments on Monday night. "When you have a bad foot or ankle or anything, the balance is off, you can see it on Ray. The ball is going left a lot. He's one of the greatest shooters of all time. Ray is going to try to figure it out, we're going to try to figure it out." 

Prior to Game 1, Rivers admitted that Allen's ankle, which is expected to require offseason surgery, is not expected to improve.

"Health-wise with Ray, I don't think that's going to change," he said. "But I do think he's getting more comfortable with his shot. Obviously we're going to need him in this series... We don't know game-to-game with him. We don't know how he's feeling and then we don't know how he's going to deal with it during the game."

Rivers also admitted prior to Game 1 that his coaching staff has been constantly monitoring Allen during games and noted that Allen was almost pulled from Saturday's Game 7 victory against the Philadelphia 76ers before he hit two second-half three-pointers.

"In our huddles, in Game 7, the arguments our staff was having -- take him out, bring him in. Honestly, it's just luck sometimes. We left him in and he made two threes. But the hook was close." 

Now we all wonder if and when the hook will make an appearance.