In advance of the Celtics-Heat series, Ray Allen sat down to chat with ESPN Boston's Jackie MacMullan.

Asked about LeBron James' dubbing the 76ers "breakfast," Allen notes about Boston, "You gotta have a big appetite, because we're a smorgasbord."

The Celtics will be paying close attention to Chris Bosh in their conference semifinal series and for good reason.

“When Bosh plays really well they blow teams out,” Kevin Garnett said. “It’s not even close.”

Bosh averaged almost 20 points and nine rebounds in Miami’s first round series against Philadelphia. He had monster performances in the first two games of the series and then came up big in the close-out game with 22 points and 11 rebounds. In the one game Miami lost he was held to just 12 points and five rebounds.

“LeBron and Wade are going to be LeBron and Wade,” Doc Rivers said. “They were great before the series, they’ll be great during it and they’ll be great after it and this summer when you’re talking about it you’ll say LeBron and Wade are great players. That’s not going to chance. But when Bosh plays great, then their team plays great. He’s a key guy for them.”

While Rajon Rondo has averaged 12 assists a game against the Heat this season, the rest of his offensive numbers (7.5 points a game, 37 percent shooting) have been subpar.

"It doesn't matter,'' Rondo insisted. "I'm going to attack those guys. I'm going to make them do their job. I'm driving right at them. If they block my shot, then they do.

"If they're blocking my shot, who is guarding Ray and Paul? It's about adjustments. If they block my shot the first time, then the second time, I'm doing something different.''

Rondo shot 53 percent from the line against New York, but insists his days of worrying about making them are over.

"I'm not thinking about that anymore,'' he said. "If I get to the line and get us into the penalty, then it makes it better for Paul when he makes a baseline cut. When he gets fouled, then he's at the line. Two shots.
"It helps him get into his rhythm, along with Ray. If Ray is fouled with the ball and we're in the penalty, he's going to the line. That's two shots, two points.''

According to ESPN researchers Peter Newmann and Dean Oliver, Paul Pierce defended LeBron James 69 percent of the time during the 277 offensive possessions that Miami ran out of a halfcourt set during the teams' four regular-season meetings.

During that span, with Pierce defending James, Miami as a team averaged a mere 81 points per 100 possessions while shooting 42 percent from the floor. With James defended by all other players, Miami averaged 102 points per 100 possessions and shot 52 percent overall.

Zoom in closer on James during those same situations and you'll see he averaged a mere 75 points per 100 possessions while shooting 43 percent when guarded solely by Pierce. Against all other defenders, that number jumps to 93 points per 100 possessions behind 50 percent shooting overall.

Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers minimized the depth angle against an opponent that still possesses Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh.

"They have two pretty good guys, three pretty good guys they are going to play 40 minutes, so I don't think they are going to have that big of a bench problem during the playoffs, honestly," he said Thursday, with Wade, James and Bosh each playing at least 40 minutes Wednesday. "They have enough guys that they'll move them around."

The Celtics, by contrast, not only have Rajon Rondo and Jermaine O'Neal in support of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen in the starting lineup, but also the bench boost of Glen Davis, Delonte West, Nenad Krstic and possibly another O'Neal (if Shaquille O'Neal is able to make it back).

Rivers, though, said that doesn't diminish the pressure on his starters.

"It's important, but at the end of the day, the starters are the key," he said. "The starters have to play well. The bench has to help, and we have enough guys that that will happen for us, as well. But let's make no mistake, if your starters are playing well, then you have a very good chance of winning playoff games."

The primary problem for Udonis Haslem has been recovery.

It takes him two days of rest to recover to recover from one day of hard physical work.

That makes today somewhat of a milestone. Haslem was able to follow up full practice participation Tuesday with the full shootaround session Wednesday morning.

So it does appear that he’s getting closer to returning, perhaps for 8 to 10 minutes off the bench.

That return would also give the Heat an emotional boost, if it came in a home game — like say, Game 1 on Sunday against Boston.

“I think the crowd will go crazy,” Dwyane Wade said. “I think it will be of course on that (level) of Alonzo’s not only because of what he’s going to bring but the appreciation of knowing UD worked night after night, day after day, to make sure that he could be back and prepared for this team.”

The Celtics reserves don’t lack for confidence.

“I feel like our bench is way stronger than theirs,” Glen Davis said. “We’re way deeper than them. We just have to make sure we use our depth.”
 
The Heat have used three reserves primarily in their first round series with Philadelphia — Joel Anthony, Mario Chalmers and James Jones — but they may get a boost if Udonis Haslem is able to return from foot surgery that has kept him out since late November. An ineffective Mike Miller has fallen out of the rotation.

The Celtics may be deeper on paper, but their second unit didn’t exactly distinguish itself in their series with the Knicks except for a strong showing in the first half of Game 4. Rivers feels like he has gained some insight from that series, however.

“We knew what the starters could do,” Rivers said. “We weren’t sure what the fifth guy with the starters could do and you had no idea going into a playoff series what your bench, not only what they were going to give you, but what worked for them. As the playoffs went on we kind of figured out more and more what they’re comfortable with, what they can’t run more than what they can run.”

Boys & Girls Clubs in Cleveland, Akron and Elyria report receiving a total of more than $480,000, part of about $2 million that James has distributed nationwide since the July broadcast, billed as "The Decision."

In Cleveland, clubs in the Mount Pleasant and Slavic Village neighborhoods have received $130,000.

A contribution of nearly $60,000 repaired a leaky roof, refurbished a dingy gymnasium and will pay for a new playground at the Mount Pleasant club on East 131st Street. And the Slavic Village club on Broadway received $70,000, which was used to install a new gym floor and purchase bleachers. The club also is waiting on delivery of 20 new computers.

Both clubs also received a video sports training system and $2,500 worth of sports gear.

In addition to the $2 million cash contribution, James arranged for the donation of $500,000 in computers from Hewlett-Packard and $500,000 in gear from Nike. Fifty-nine Boys & Girls Clubs across the country are receiving help from James.

Heat forward Udonis Haslem says he's hopeful of returning to the Miami lineup sometime this postseason.

Continuing his comeback following a ruptured foot ligament in November, Haslem went through another full practice with Miami on Tuesday. Haslem says there was less pain and soreness in his foot after the workout than he expected.

Haslem says he feels like his time is coming. He says he doesn't know when, "but I definitely feel like it's coming."

There is still no firm timetable for Haslem's potential return.

LeBron James and Dwyane Wade are a combined 1-for-13 on field goal attempts with 10 seconds or less remaining in games when the Heat were tied or down by three-points or less.

The Heat as a team are now just 1-for-19 from the field in the final 10 seconds when tied or trailing by three or fewer including both regular season and postseason games.