Post#662 » by EJay33 » Wed Jul 11, 2012 3:51 pm
I want to hate Allen, I really do, but I just can't do it. When he returns I'll give him his much deserved standing O, and then it's back to business as usual, which of course is hating the Heat. The thing is, if he dogged his way through his contracts and then took less money to go to the Heat, then I'd hate him. That didn't happen, though. The guy busted his ass for us and gave us some great moments and years. He is the hardest working player we've had since the Legend. People are killing him for his play this season, but him playing on 2 ankles that needed surgery and still having some big moments such as a solid game 7 and solid D on Wade saved us from having to watch Daniels or Pietrus, who was playing in full-blown downsyndrome mode for 75% of the playoffs, in that spot.
I have had multiple breakups that have effected me less than Ray Allen leaving the Celtics. Yesterday day "Remember When" by Alan Jackson came on and I found myself thinking about Ray Allen. It was at that moment that I realized that I am a huge tool, but it actually does fit pretty well with the Ray years in Boston, granted in about the most homoerotic way possible. It just shouldn't have ended this way, with Ray on bad terms. I can't believe how under-appreciated he felt considering how much I as a fan valued having him on the team.
The thing is, he is criminally underrated by Celtics fans right now. This past post-season was sad to watch. 71% FT shooting? I would have guessed Ray could do better than that lefty. Still, he gave us great moments. The 3 in game 5 against Atlanta that ended up being a loss was awesome. The guy could barely play, yet dug down deep and drilled the big shot. Then there was game 4 at home against Miami when Boston had a 14-point halftime lead and then pissed it all away.
I was in the building and it was eerily reminiscent of the previous season when Boston won game 3 at home and lost game 4. It just felt like history was repeating itself. Rondo was playing like he had a streak of diarrhea running down his leg. Had the Pistons executed an Isiah Thomas Pistons patented walk-off at the start of the 4th quarter, I still don't think Rondo would have attempted a shot for the rest of the game.
Pierce was doing one of his "my knee hurts, even tho I'm the leader of this team and best scorer, I'm not even going to try to get the ball" routines. As the Heat took the lead, I was talking to the guy with the season ticket next to me asking him where his seats were for next year, thinking it could be the last time I ever saw the guy haha..
Then, big Ray drilled a 3 to put Boston back up with about 7:30 left. The fans came to life, the team stopped playing like they were pissing their pants, and the game eventually went to OT and Boston won, then went on to win game 6, and gave us a legit chance at the finals. People underestimate how pumped a Ray 3 got the crowd. Even just seeing him launch one has half the building ready to pop out of their seats. That doesn't happen when Mickael Pietrus lines up an ill-advised step-back 3.
Another thing is that people seem to think the Ray we just watched is the Ray that's going to exist moving forward. Guys, he is having ankle surgery. He'll be fine. He is probably going to lead the NBA in threes next year and could easily play into his 40s if he wants to. I had always hoped he would do this in a bench role here with the Celtics. Rondo did not look for him in transition enough, and even dating back to 2008 he was underutilized here.
Consider that Ray gave up 8 shots per game to make the big 3 marriage work. Why was he the one sacrificing the most? His teams in Seattle were the 3rd, 2nd, 3rd, and 9th best offenses in the league in the 4 years prior to the trade. KG's 'Sota teams were 5th, 6th, 28th, and 25th. Pierce's Celtics were 17th, 9th, 19th, and 28th. His Bucks offenses were also top of the league (1st one year, 2nd another year, top 10 a couple other years). So, based on the fact that you can consistently build a top 10, if not top 5 offense around Ray Allen, why are we sacrificing 8 shots from that guy when Pierce and KG didn't have similar track records of success offensively?
Yet of course, people are saying he road the coattails of Pierce and KG, which is ridiculous. He sacrificed to make this work. If Pierce had to sacrifice 8 shots per game and become the 3rd option I suspect he would have pouted his way out of town, and honestly that was my biggest concern at the time of the trade - that Paul wasn't going to be able to adjust to a reduced role. Ray was the guy who sacrificed the most to allow this to work and he'll be a fantastic addition for the Heat.
He should have stayed here. With all that said, he did sell out this organization because his ego ended up getting in the way. His role on this team was working. The team was a perennial contender and one of the most feared in the league. What they were doing collectively was working. As a fan, I am able to see what Ray sacrificed and I know he is as important to that ring as KG and Paul were. I feel he should have been the 08 finals MVP. I never would have disrespected his contributions and I wish he felt what I saw and chose to stay over taking 1/2 the money to legitimately ride the coattails of LeBron, Wade, and Bosh. He wants to talk about respect, well, he just signed up for 1/5 the money that those guys are making and they're all 5-8 years younger than him. Ridiculous that it had to end this way. I just think he made a decision specifically to spite the Celtics. He won't get more minutes, money, respect, or a bigger role in Miami. All he accomplished was hitting Boston where it hurts. Too bad. It was a good thing while it lasted.
