"Though Doc Rivers joked Thursday about giving Ray Allen the day off to go hit golf balls, the guard actually took the time to rest a sore right knee.

Allen admittedly didn't think he would play last night, either, until he showed up at the Garden.

All he did was hit his first seven shots on the way to a 27-point performance that included 5-for-8 shooting from downtown in the Celtics' 107-103 win against Golden State.

Knee pain notwithstanding, he still got open.

"I had a suit on because I thought I was going to be sitting on the bench," he said. "I thought there might be a chance, but I came here as usual ready to play. It's hard to say from one day to the next, 'I'm not going to play tomorrow.' You've got to get in there and really put your body to the test and try to get better. I got treatment and ice, and by the time I got here I felt better.""