Boston Celtics forward Jonas Jerebko broke his nose in three places when he collided with Jaylen Brown on Feb. 5, and he has struggled with his shot since it happened. Jerebko, a tough player, refuses to sit with the playoffs about to start, even though he's having issues breathing though his nose. Jerebko was given a mask to protect his nose, but he refuses to wear it. He will wait until the offseason to have surgery to fix his nose.

“It was horrible, you seen it, trying to play with that mask,” Jerebko told The Boston Globe. “They wanted me to play with it for two months. But I just couldn’t do it. When you’ve got a broken nose in three places, it’s not the most comfortable situation, but I didn’t want to take any time off. I wanted to keep going and that’s what I did. It’s still broken, but I can’t fix it right now.”

Since the All-Star break, Jerebko is averaging just 3.3 points (40.7 percent from the field), 3.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists.

Jerebko is likely desperate to impress head coach Brad Stevens and President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge during the playoffs, as his contract is set to expire on June 30.

Jerebko has been with the Celtics since Feb. 19, 2015 when they acquired him as part of a trade with the Detroit Pistons.

“When you know you’re going to be in there playing and you know you’re getting your touches and be on the court, it’s so much easier than when you don’t play for a half and then come in in the second,” Jerebko said. “It’s a tough situation but, like I said, I’m being professional and that’s all I can do.”

-- Nick Silva