Now, hold on! Before you flip the page on the Boston sports fan writing about his own player, hear me out. This column is all about Ray Allen, one of the most likable guys in the history of basketball. Ray Allen, who broke Reggie Miller's all-time three-point record last night. Where Reggie was full of surly emotion, Allen is a fine sportsman and full of respect — a man who can't have enough fanfare in his name. Do I have you? Will you read on? Good.
About eight months ago, as the Lady Gaga album "The Fame Monster" was really getting big, the Boston Celtics were getting ready to square off against their arch rival the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals. Hanging tough at the number six spot of the Billboard Hot 100 was a little song off of that album by the name of "Alejandro."
For the sake of this column, I'll assume there is someone out there who doesn't know who Lady Gaga is and elaborate. Lady Gaga is a former pop songwriter turned pop star who, as her fame grew, put out increasingly more insane (and awesome) music videos. She also once wore a dress made out of meat.
At some point in that week, I realized that my two favorite Celtics players, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo, had names that kind of sounded like they were in the song. Next thing I know, I'm making Facebook statuses with things like, "Just call their name, Just call their name, ALLEN-RONDO!" The elation that came with the discovery quickly passed when I realized that (a) no one else would think this was as clever as I did, and (b) Allen, who was 34 at the time, had to be reaching the end of his career, rendering my fun little parody useless.
After all, Allen was traded to the Celtics in the 2007 off-season, a time when his former franchise, the Seattle SuperSonics, was in turmoil and preparing for a move to Oklahoma City. Sam Presti, the Sonics' and now Thunder's general manager, is considered one of the best in the business. And he thought Allen was on the decline three years ago. How on earth could the legendary sharpshooter keep his game?
Well, turns out it ain't over 'til Ray says it's over. The 35-year-old is enjoying a career year, nailing 45 percent of his attempts from behind the arc and more than half of his total shots. But how is this possible? In a sport characterized by long, steady declines, how is Ray Allen taking his game to the next level?
I think I may have the answer. In the ugly Game 7 of the aforementioned series against the Lakers, Allen went three of 14 from the floor — the worst shooting percentage by a Celtics starter, and an uncharacteristic choke-job by the perennial all-star. He then proceeded to spend all of his spare time in the off-season working on his shot, shaking the rust off his stroke and counting down to the day he would have another chance at the Lakers.
Now that day is here, and with Reggie Miller calling the game in a packed Garden, we've finally reached the hour of the Allen. Miller was known for his stone-cold, killer performances against the Knicks, running down the court and jawing at director Spike Lee in the stands after buttering three pointers like toast. Ray is known for running back down the court after his threes to play defense, humbly shrugging off the cheers of the crowd. If you think I'm biased towards my Celtics, the contrast is even strong between Ray and captain Paul Pierce. I love Pierce more than orange guava passionfruit juice in the Ratty — which I love a lot — but his grandstanding and chest-beating are in stark juxtaposition with Ray's quiet fist pumps.
In a year when future Hall of Famers like LeBron James and Phil Jackson have stated their displeasure with playing on Christmas, Allen made an impassioned argument to the contrary. Ray talked about the honor of being selected to play during a day reserved for marquee games, and the good fortune of NBA players to be able to do what they love for a living.
"We're over here, complaining about playing Christmas, but we're basically home on United States soil," he told Tim Povtak of FanHouse. "Some of those guys in the military haven't seen their families in a year, or six months or maybe three months.''
Wait, aren't basketball stars supposed to be spoiled babies? When Allen's young son was diagnosed with diabetes, Ray said he learned a lot about being grateful for what he has. He's a man I'm proud to see in my team's uniform every night.
With talent comes good shooters, but to be a great shooter, you've got to work hard. You either have the tenacity and conquering mentality of Miller, or the determination and drive of Ray. In Allen, we see a guy who could go down in history as the greatest pure shooter of all time. That doesn't happen by accident. So, I'll call your name, Ray. All you've got to do is bring that shot to the playoffs with you.
That — and tell your mom to keep wearing her bedazzled jersey while she jumps around in the front row. She makes my heart grow three sizes on game day.
