``Zero,'' he said before the Celtics met the Pistons last night. ``I'll be trying for birdies.''

Kevin Garnett was voted in by the fans as a starter, and Paul Pierce was selected as a reserve by the coaches. Allen could still be picked by commissioner David Stern if an Eastern Conference star can't make it, but Allen plans to use the time to relax.

Still, because he's playing better than last season, he believed he was a strong candidate for the Feb. 15 event.

``We were excited about potentially four guys making it,'' Allen said, adding Rajon Rondo into the mix. ``And then Kendrick (Perkins) was getting consideration, as well. So I thought I had a great shot, but obviously I didn't make it and there's not much I can do about it.

``I've always said that that was one of the truest forms of being accepted into the All-Star Game was when the coaches vote. They just didn't feel I was good enough, so what can you do?''

Doc Rivers wasn't quite so forgiving.

``Why I was disappointed,'' he said, `is that it's the coaches that vote for that, and every time I see a coach they say, `Man, I love how you have your guys sacrificing for the team.' That's what we want all our players to do, and then when it's time to vote they go by numbers. So that was disappointing.''

Rondo over it

After being skipped in favor of New Jersey's Devin Harris and Orlando's Jameer Nelson, Rondo was very gracious.

``I think the guys that made it deserved to make it,'' he said, ``but I don't think much about. It wasn't a goal of mine at the beginning of the year.''

As for doing very well against Harris in two recent routs of the Nets, Rondo said, ``That's two games out of the year and he's been playing great all year long. He definitely deserves it. He's playing extremely well. You've got to give him a lot of credit.'' The number of Celtics candidates may have had an influence.

``I think so,'' Rondo said, ``but those three guys have been doing it their entire career and they deserve to be on.''

Rondo is still deciding what he will do on the break, while Allen is examining warm weather sites.

``I'm still working on it,'' Allen said. ``I know it's going to be somewhere in the Caribbean, Mexico, Cayman Islands. We'll just see logistically what will be the easiest to get to. I just know I won't need long pants. I won't need a jacket or scarf.''

Get to bed, Red

Brian Scalabrine (mild concussion) wasn't on the trip, and the Celts won't be looking for the redhead in sneakers for a while.

``We want him to basically stay in bed and sleep,'' Rivers said. ``He came to the game the other night and didn't feel great with the lighting and all that, so we sent him home. I don't think he'll be allowed on the floor until he passes one of these tests that you have to pass for concussions.''

Scalabrine is doing well enough that Rivers could expand on that.

``That's my concern,'' he cracked. ``I don't know if Scal could pass the test before the concussions.''

Read the Celtics Insider at bostonherald.com.

(Note: Story runs under headline `Allen not upset; Gaurd content to take it easy during break' in the 1st Edition of the Boston Herald)