Celts guard Ray Allen’s offensive game has been sluggish of late, but he says winning has made his shooting woes bearable.

The Providence Journal / Kris Craig

WALTHAM, Mass. — Ray Allen is trying not to let the worst shooting slump of his career disrupt the Celtics goal of an NBA championship.

Allen averaged 17.4 points during the regular season but is down to 12.7 in 14 playoff games. He averaged only 9.3 points per game in the Cleveland series, one in which he failed to score in Game Two and managed only four points in Game Seven.

“I think personally it’s tougher than anything I’ve ever seen,” he said yesterday after practice. Allen spent extra time launching 3-point shots from various spots around the arc.

“Just looking back on the times we played Cleveland throughout the year and in the series, I think they did everything they could to try to take away anything that I have. They made it tough for me to create any type of rhythm out there. Kudos to their game plan. They made it tough on a lot of us.”

The Cavs trapped Allen, forcing him to pass the ball or attempt difficult shots, and he expects the Pistons to adopt the same strategy.

“I’ve seen it before where a team is saying we’re not going to let you come off a screen and shoot,” he said.

Coach Doc Rivers is satisfied with the way Allen has adapted to the aggressive defense he is facing and has searched for the open man. To his credit, Allen himself would prefer to do what it takes to win rather that try to get going.

“It’s hard for me to say self, to do it myself,” he said. “It’s easy for me to carve out some space and get a shot up, but that’s not what we want on our offensive team. I rely on my teammates. Rajon [Rondo] is the point guard, and he has to become more aware of getting me some easy looks. The whole team does, because it does make it easier come the fourth quarter one of us is going to have to make a shot. We need to create a good rhythm for the game.”

Veteran guard Sam Cassell is trying to help Allen snap out of this slump.

“We’ve always been a great tandem. Even when he’s on the bench, just some of the things he sees out there, he’s going to make sure he puts them in Rondo’s ear. When he’s out there he knows how to get scoring opportunities off of me and for me. He’s more efficient than most guys I play with.”

Winning has made this slump somewhat bearable, Allen said, “but we still can’t forget the contributions I do and can make out there on the floor. It’s important for Doc and the guys to make sure they keep me involved.”

Old adversaries reunite

There is playoff history between these old franchises, and it was at its heated best in the mid-1980s. The Celtics eliminated the Pistons in the Eastern Conference semifinals on their way to the 1985 NBA Finals. They defeated them again in the 1987 Eastern Conference finals, a series made famous by Larry Bird’s steal of Isiah Thomas’ in-bounds pass with five seconds to play and and off-balance pass to Dennis Johnson for the layup that was the difference in Boston’s 108-107 victory in Game Five.

The Pistons prevailed over the Celtics in the 1988 Eastern Conference finals and a year later swept the Celtics in the first round and the Lakers for the championship.

The Celtics and Pistons battled one more time, in the 1991 Eastern Conference semifinals, the Pistons winning in six games. They rallied from a 3-1 deficit and won the finale in overtime.

That was the end of the line for those teams as championship contenders, thanks to age and Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, the NBA team of the 1990s.

mszostak@projo.com