Boston Celtics guard Ray Allen admits he has problems sleeping after bad losses and before big games.

So last week he had a few restless nights.

We'll assume Thursday night he slept like a baby.

Allen appeared to be pressing again Thursday night ... but not for too long. After a miserable first half (0 for 3 from the floor, 0 for 1 from the line), he at long last found his rhythm, scoring all 16 of his points in the second half to help lead the Celtics to an 89-73 win over Cleveland in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series.

"That free throw really ticked me off," said Allen, a lifetime 89 percent free throw shooter. "It looked like it was in and then it kicked out in front of the rim. That was a freebie."

On the heels of Allen being held scoreless in Game 1, the Celtics made a concerted effort to get his shot going. The first four offensive plays of the third quarter started with the ball in his hands.

"I told the coaches at halftime, 'We're going to him over and over again. We've got to get him going,' " said coach Doc Rivers. "Shooters just need something to go in."

Allen's first hoop wasn't a thing of beauty. He missed a 15-footer to open the third quarter, but got the rebound and laid it in. It was akin to David Ortiz hitting a bloop single to left, breaking an 0-for-20 streak.