How do the Boston Celtics decide who will shoot a free throw after a technical foul when All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas is not on the floor?

Rock-Paper-Scissors, evidently.

Celtics players Jae Crowder and Avery Bradley engaged in a quick on-court game after Miami Heat forward Justise Winslow was called for an "unnatural act" for kneeing Marcus Smart on a drive to the basket late in the fourth quarter of Sunday's game. Since Thomas, Boston's best free-throw shooter, had been ejected for a flagrant-2 foul a short time before, the Celtics huddled to elect a shooter while up 102-93 with 32.2 seconds to play.

With Terry Rozier refereeing, Crowder's paper covered Bradley's rock. The two players were all smiles as Crowder immediately started walking toward the free-throw line.

Crowder, a 90.3 percent free-throw shooter this season, missed the freebie. The Celtics still emerged with a 105-95 triumph.

On Monday, Stevens was asked before the team's off-day practice in Miami about the unconventional means of determining the shooter and managed to keep a straight face while delivering an explanation.

"It’s an important part of the end of the game," Stevens told reporters in Miami. "When we come into the huddle and decide who we’re drawing a play up for, we do Rock-Paper-Scissors first. And, obviously, you have to have multiple Rock-Paper-Scissors games going on to get to the final. We bracket that out and then, by the time about 1 minute is on the clock, I come in and ask who won, then we draw up the play and that’s who it’s for."