Heading into their second-round series with the Miami Heat, the Celtics had 15 bodies and only 12 spots on the active roster. Two of the three odd men out were obvious — Shaquille O'Neal, who's still out of commission with a calf injury, and Avery Bradley, the rookie who's hardly played this season.
The third, coach Doc Rivers announced Sunday, will be Sasha Pavlovic.
Pavlovic was active for the Celtics' first four postseason games against the Knicks, with Carlos Arroyo being relegated to 13th man for the duration of the first round. But Rivers decided to make a change for round two by giving a roster spot to Arroyo, who began the season as the starting point guard in Miami.
"The guard play, number one, and number two, he knows this team," Rivers explained. "He was in their training camp, he was in their practices, and he knows their personnel. So I just thought he might be able to help us at one point."
Assuming O'Neal returns later in this series, Rivers will again have a decision to make on who gets shifted off the active roster. Arroyo could get the ax again, or Rivers could nix Troy Murphy or Von Wafer instead.
