Rasheed Wallace’s back is hurting him more than we thought. (CSNNE)

“We have to play him short minutes, short spurts,” said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. “That’s all you can do. It’s not going to get any better at this point.”

The 6-foot-10 big man played nearly 19 lackluster minutes in Tuesday’s 91-84 Game Three loss, scoring just two points on 1-for-5 shooting.

“He’s struggling,” Rivers admitted. “His back is killing him, but he’s just trying to do what he does. We understand that.”

Wallace’s back injury has led to the C’s playing him sparingly.

That back sure did look like it was struggling when Sheed was front-rimming three-pointers all game.