"Ray Allen was inches away from a perfectly written return to the Celtics lineup. His play was largely impeccable in the Garden's theater in the round.

But as Shakespeare surely would have put it, all's not well that ends poorly.

And the Bard didn't have NBA League Pass — or cable even.

So there was Allen, who had spent the week rehabbing a jammed left ankle and watching the birth of his fourth son, reciting his lines almost to perfection on the parquet boards. Nine of his first 12 shots found the strings, with four of the makes coming from beyond the 3-point arc.

But last evening was to be a tragedy for the Celtics. They went scoreless in the last 4:25, surrendering an 11-point lead and the game to the Cavaliers, 88-87."