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Link: http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball ... et/?page=1

"I had a borderline case of OCD [obsessive compulsive disorder]," Allen explains. "I was never diagnosed, but it was something I was aware of."

This is how Ray Allen's mind works. If there is a speck of paper on the floor in his house, he cannot walk by without picking it up. He has tried. He has purposely marched up the stairs without correcting the glaring imperfection, but he's unable to eliminate the image from his mind until he goes back down, throws the scrap in the wastebasket, and restores order in his home.

He requires the same symmetry in his basketball universe. That's why, when Paul Pierce suddenly began doing 360 dunks in warm-ups earlier this season, Allen demanded an explanation.

"We were winning," Allen says. "Why would he change it up when we were winning?"

"Stuff like that happens on teams all the time," Pierce insists. "Different personalities. But Ray's to blame. He's crazy. One night he gets on the plane and says, 'Paul, you're in the wrong seat.' I told him, 'Man, there's a hundred seats open. Leave me alone.' "

And there is a lot more in the article. I don`t even know what to say after reading this. I guess basketball wise his compulsion is a good thing but in everyday life it is has to be an extremely tough thing to live with...

Fascinating article--Jackie got some good stuff.

My favorite bits:

One day, when he arrived at the arena, Allen's regular parking spot was occupied. The owner of the car was Antonio Daniels, who had recently latched on to the early-bird shooting.

"I walk in and say, 'Why are you parking in my spot?' " Allen says. "He is acting like he doesn't know what I am talking about.

"We are playing the Knicks that night. I think I had about 40 points, but I'm still mad. I'm at the free throw line and Daniels comes up to me and says, 'You need me to take that spot more often.' I hit the free throw, then turn to him and shout, 'You stay out of my spot!' "

"If I had to stick to the exact same thing every day, I'd kill myself," Pierce says. "What happens if you go for your pregame meal and there's no more salmon in the freezer?

"I love Ray, but I don't get it. I'm not ever going to be at the free throw line saying, 'Damn, I didn't get my parking spot today.' "

These guys seem to eat a lot of salmon....

I love Paul Pierce, he's so funny. But I can relate with Ray I'm a bit of a germaphobic and neat freak.

haha great dynamics going on with this team. pierce is such a goofball

Nice article. I have a little bit of OCD so i know how it feels .


Also another interesting piece of the article:

Allen has become his role model, and Rondo has started showing up at the arena three hours before the game to mimic Ray's routine.

"I want to be consistent," explains Rondo, "and Ray is all about that."

Maybe Rondo's also getting tips on his Jumper from Ray - Ray as well

Breaking news......

Ray Allen has bought the bones of the elephant man, and he sleeps in an oxygen chamber!

Who the hell cares. As long as his jumper falling, I don't really worry about what's going on inside his head. Whatever works.

I remember an interview on David Letterman or Leno where Ray talked about not being able to split a pole when he's walking with someone. He says that if he goes around one side, and the other person goes around the other side, they have to go back and do it again, both going around the same side.

I had no idea that he had this many quirks!

Two things:

1) This is a superb piece of writing from Jackie MacMullan. Jackie's showing everyone what the Globe is losing- sort of like a player lighting up their old team after being traded.

2) There was a long surreal thread on this board recently where it was stated (despite a mountain of evidence to the contrary) that anyone could coach this team...

...I don't think so. This season did not have to go the way it did. Doc Rivers has been brilliant this season and found a way to blend powerful and quirky personalities together. It could easily have gone the other way.

I am borderline, as well. Wait, I think you either are or not; there is really no in between.

For me, when I learn something new I tend to research that topic to death. Then something else comes along and I wear that out too. I tend to beat the proverbial brakes off of a topic until I feel comfortable enough in my knowledge of the subject.

When I was younger I played baseball and picked up chewing tobacco. The nicotine is addictive, as we are all too aware, and, well, the habit is just nasty. Anyone who knows me, though, knows that when I take a chew, I am Rainman-like in my actions. I pack three times, to the diamond on the top of the can. I pop the lid. I take a pinch. I always re-align the UPC on the side of the tin afterwards. Same thing. Everytime.

There is a reason I do that with my chew, even if the casual observer can't see it. Fine cut tobacco has a tendency to become de-compressed and float around in your mouth unless it was originally packed tightly. By ensuring the can is always aligned, the tobacco is always packed in the same direction inside the can. I allow the work of the previous taps to work in my favor. Efficiency and no wasted motion.

I create systems for doing even the most menial of tasks. And I stick to those systems. It allows me to function more efficiently because I always know where things are located and things are easily at hand.

I can understand were Ray is coming from. It is irritating to me to see people operate inefficiently or with wasted motion. I think that is why 'fake hustle' is one of my biggest pet peeves on a basketball court. Diving in the stands or hitting the floor is all well and good but if it's after the fact, it is more for showmanship and has nothing to do with the outcome of the play. You haven't accomplished anything other than tricking a few people into thinking you are accomplishing more on the court than you actual are.

The most glaring example of this is Derek Jeter. Yes it is baseball but it's the same principle. For instance, against the Red Sox a few years back, he ranged behind third base and made a great catch. He probably ran a good thirty feet or so. He then ran another fifteen feet and dove headfirst into the stands. He had to come out of the game but was given verbal fellatio for his 'hustle', 'grit' and everything else. No mention of his stupidity. He could have pulled up. It was all done for show.

Anyways, I think with hardwork and attention to detail, people can accomplish whatever they want to do. Perhaps that is a carry-over from my army days but, then again, I think I have always been that way.

Self-accountability and the discipline to prioritize and operate with focus provide structure and an environment which breeds success. In this manner, you realize your limitations, you minimize risks and leave yourself further options. Realizing that is very empowering, which, in turn, breeds even more success. The ball keeps on rolling.

Our state of mind can be tweaked for optimization. Some may view this approach as too rigid. Perhaps so. I find that thinking in these terms is refreshing because I find myself in complete control of where I go, what I do, how I do it. Knowing that any of my actions will have a consequence, both good and bad, puts all the responsibility on me.

If I choose do something, I assume the outcomes. I can step out into a crosswalk or I can choose not to step. I can look for oncoming traffic or I can step blindly. If I get hit by a car, at least part of the responsibility falls on me. With any assumption of power there is continued need for a reciprocated amount of responsibility.

So, when Ray uses these coping mechanisms, to me at least, he is just ensuring all his ducks are in row to put himself in the best position to succeed as possible. I find that admirable, honestly.

Great post, Pogue!

Rocky5000 wrote:I remember an interview on David Letterman or Leno where Ray talked about not being able to split a pole when he's walking with someone. He says that if he goes around one side, and the other person goes around the other side, they have to go back and do it again, both going around the same side.

I had no idea that he had this many quirks!

Haha it was Conan. The repeat was on the other day.

Wow what a physcho we should trade his azz.

People in the know used to say that

I think it's great he has a real human element. You look at these guys on the court and you thik that they are all just monsters. No. They have their weird ticks just like most of us. He is a better basketball player because of OCD. he says it in in the article. I like him even more now.

My mom is OCD & being her child, i have a little bit of it passed down towards me.

i cant stand it when my sheets & comforter arent lined up together. & i also cant walk by a lil piece of paper or trash sittin on the floor w/o pickin it up.

Pogue Mahone wrote:
For me, when I learn something new I tend to research that topic to death. Then something else comes along and I wear that out too. I tend to beat the proverbial brakes off of a topic until I feel comfortable enough in my knowledge of the subject.

i am the same way, i have to know every detail of the thing if i am going to consider myself a fan, or someone with knowledge of it

an example of this would be after i watched the movie Troy for the first time the other day

i spent the whole next day researching the iliad, the odyssey, and ancient Greek and Trojans civilizations which in turn led me to checking the books out of the library...my roomate didn't understand why i couldn't just watch the movie and like it for what it was, and i didn't have an explanation as to why i had to do this, but i did

I used to have it a bit growing up. If I touched say my right leg, I would have to keep it even and touch my left leg. Things like that, everything had to be symmetrical. That one wasn't so bad because it wasn't all the time but there were things like setting my alarm clock, I had to go from off to auto and back three times before setting it on alarm. If I didn't I would eventually have to get out of bed and go do it the "right" way.

Pierce can do a 360 dunk?

I can relate somewhat to both Pierce and (Ray) Allen having both a laid back and sometimes perfectionist way about myself.

For example, once in a while I'll see an item at a supermarket on the floor and it's tough for me to ignore and walk by it without thinking I'll pick it up and return it to where it was unless I don't care that day. But, the point is I was cognizant of it while most people, unless you're an employee at this supermarket, would just as well walk by it. Or you find yourself getting into a routine or habit when say you're in a classroom (college/university) or what have you and you'll typically sit in the exact same seat, if possible, that you'd chosen to sit in from the first day of class. I suppose, a lot of people are like that in life almost to the point of becoming possessive with their seat toward other students.

I have OCD, it's a pain in the ass but medication and therapy make it manageable. Stress makes it worse. I have mostly what they call "mental rituals" or "mental compulsions" anyway, so i don't lose an hour every day washing my hands. When I lived in Boston after I got out of school, before I'd been diagnosed, I was basically paralyzed by it, any decision would be arduous and take 25 times as long as it needed to- sometimes i'd spend an hour at night staring at different fast food delivery menus, stricken by anxiety, before I could decide whether the Perfect Choice to make was Wing-It or Sicilia's Pizza. Kind of funny, but also not.