WALTHAM — You could have made a lot of money in October if you wagered that the Celtics best, most consistent and indispensable bench player in the 2010 playoffs would have been Tony Allen, but here we are.

Allen had his moments in the Miami series when he was asked to guard Dwyane Wade, but his contributions in this series have been a little more under the radar. That is, until Game 4, when he scored 15 points in 25 minutes and converted a dunk on what may have been the play of the game: Rajon Rondo’s blind pass with LeBron James closing fast on the break.

“I like playing with Rajon,” Allen said Monday after the Celtics completed practice. “Let me say, I like playing with everybody but he’s one of the guys that’s mainly looking for you to score as opposed to other guys, you have to feed off of them. He’s actually looking for you. He brings out my game, I must say that.”

Allen doesn’t find himself on the court with Rondo as much as the others because he has been filling the role of backup point guard when Rondo gets one of his rare breaks. But it paid dividends for the Celtics in Game 4 when Rondo teamed with Allen and the rest of the reserves in a makeshift lineup late in the third quarter and into the fourth.

James essentially left Allen alone, and that also allowed James to roam the court in a manner that Doc Rivers termed, “disruptive.” But Allen forced the issue, going backdoor for layups and not only making strong athletic plays, but smart ones as well.

Allen’s come a long way in the last two and a half months and it should no longer be a pleasant surprise when he performs well. Now, it’s an expectation.

“What more can I say?” Allen asked. “I wasn’t playing then. I’m playing now. Basically, I got a role. I took advantage of the role and things happen with me taking that role. I took advantage of my opportunity. I’m taking it all in stride.”