Ray Allen said before Sunday’s Game 4 that he is reconsidering the need for offseason ankle surgery because the bone spurs in his ankle are recovering better than he anticipated.

That’s a big difference from his attitude just more than a week ago at the end of April, when Allen told reporters he would definitely require surgery in the offseason.

“I know I said that a couple weeks ago, and I believed that just from the pictures,” he said. “But based on how I feel now and where my body is, I’ll revisit getting x-rays, MRI when it’s over with and make an assessment then. Because if I continue on this track and I know I’m getting better, then I don’t need to have surgery if it’s not necessary.”

He added, “If the joint shows different things in it based on me, how I’m playing, how I feel when I’m playing and moving around, I don’t think there’s a need for it. But before it was just too excruciating. It felt like that was the only option. It felt like even as the series was starting, I wasn’t going to be able to play. So obviously I’m in a different position, and tomorrow could be a different scenario. So that’s why for me I just take it one day at a time.”

This would be good news for the Celtics, assuming that A) Allen’s ankle can heal without surgery, and B) Allen returns to the Celtics next season. The latter isn’t assured. Allen will become an unrestricted free agent and several reports conclude that his time on the Celtics is nearly over. Adrian Wojnarowski wrote in his Rondo column today that Allen “is almost assured to leave as a free agent” and Chris Broussard recently reported that Allen is interested in joining the Miami Heat — not the first time Allen has been linked to Boston’s rivals in South Beach.

The task at hand, of course, remains the NBA playoffs rather than finding a new home in free agency. Despite saying he felt “surprisingly great” in the moments after contributing 12 points in Game 4, Allen admitted he “had to walk sideways” during Boston’s off day on Saturday. In my mind, I picture Michael Sweetney trying his damnedest to fit through a doorway, but the reality of the situation isn’t that funny.

A day of rest and treatment allowed Allen to suit up for his second consecutive outing and do plenty of Ray Allen things, but he’s still conscious of his ankle on the court.

“I move very aggressively when I’m out there. I’m hitting screens and I’m cutting off them really sharp. So I just pay attention a little closer to it and try not to go as aggressive,” he said. “But sometimes the situation calls for it. I may get away with it, but at this stage of the game I don’t want to overdo it.”