Tag: Ray Allen

Ray Allen challenges LeBron, Shaq and others to show off their grown-out hair while in isolation

A new challenge!

Just a month ago, Shaquille O’Neal lost a bet to Dwyane Wade and had to show off his actual hairline on television.

Now, Hall of Famer Ray Allen is doing the same with all of us stuck at home due to social distancing and isolation as the coronavirus pandemic continues, and it sounds like he’s turning into one of those challenges that people on social media love doing so much these days.

Allen posted a shot of his hair grown out, saying he was “gonna ride #myJefferson out until the “Rona” kicks rocks!”

Then, he nominated LeBron James (who has made fun of his hair loss in the past), Richard Jefferson, Carlos Boozer, Stephon Marbury, Jermaine O’Neal and Shaq among others.

View this post on Instagram

I wasn't gonna post this but two tears in a bucket! This is where I'm at with it. Lol So I'm gonna ride #myJefferson out until the "Rona" kicks rocks! For those of you that don’t know I have cut my own hair my whole life so it’s been hard not to put the clippers to it but when I look back at these pics I will remember the Rona! Lol Fish don't fry in the kitchen, beans don't burn on the grill, took a whole lotta tryin, just to get up that hill, now we're up in the big leagues, getting our turn at bat, as long as we live, it's you and me baby, there ain't nothing wrong with that"! I nominate all my bald or going bald brothers to let it grow out, y’all know who you are! Lol. #pulluptothescenewitmyceilinmissin #shoutouttothefivehead #movinonuptotheeastside #myjeffersonon @kingjames @richardajefferson @carroyo79 @ripcity3232 @mrcbooz @shaq @starburymarbury @dwilk3000 @jermaineoneal @therealchrisspencer #napsknotsandbeebeeshots #georgejeffersonchallenge #kickitray

A post shared by Ray Allen (@trayfour) on

It doesn’t look like anyone has taken him up on it yet … but of course there is still time!

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Blast to the past: A look back at the 2008 Boston Celtics

The 2008 Boston Celtics seemed destined to win the title during the 2007-08 season.

The Boston Celtics of the late 2000s and early 2010s can’t be called a dynasty. The Big 3 of Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett only won the one NBA championship in 2008.

But the Celtics of that era can be called successful. Perhaps even trend-setting, for they were arguably pioneers of the “super team” era.

The Celtics had one of the most magical, single seasons in league history during that 2007-08 campaign. The season before, they were 24-58 and hadn’t made the playoffs for a second straight year. Heading into the 2008 playoffs, the Celtics had the league’s best record at 66-16.

When Allen and Garnett both joined the team via trade, it wasn’t the same as when LeBron James linked with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to play for the Miami Heat. With that move, James changed the NBA in his own right.

Though the two moves were executed differently, the collection of elite talent that was amassed remained the same.

Garnett was in the middle of his prime, coming off his ninth straight season of averaging a double-double. As one of the best shooters ever, Allen had his best season scoring-wise in the 2006-07 campaign. During that last year with the Seattle Supersonics, Allen averaged a career-high 26.4 points per game and shot 37.2% from the 3-point line.

Pierce had always been a talented scorer. He’s second on the franchise’s all-time leading scorer list with 24,021 points.

But he still never had enough talent around him. He once went as far as the Eastern Conference Finals during the 2002 postseason, when the Celtics lost to the New Jersey Nets in six games. During the 2006-07 season, Pierce averaged 25.0 points per game, 5.9 rebounds and 4.1 assists.

So when Pierce, Allen and Garnett came together, they were all at the peak of their powers. Their team defense from that season, anchored by Garnett, is some of the best ever. According to NBA.com stats, the Celtics had a defensive rating of 98.1.

Along with the trio of All-Stars, the Celtics also boasted a talented point guard in Rajon Rondo. Rondo was perfect for that roster. As a high IQ player, he could be a pure floor general, while also help the team defend the perimeter. During that season, Rondo averaged 5.1 assists; during the playoffs, he dished 6.6 assists a game.

It was hard to imagine anyone beating the Celtics that season. They seemed destined to earn what would be their first title since 1986. What added to their dominance, though, was how they shared the ball. Boston was tied for eighth in assists per game during its championship season.

Neither Pierce, Allen or Garnett averaged at least 20 points a game. Pierce led the team in scoring that season with 19.6 points per game.

After the Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in 2008, they remained a contender. They continued to be a tough match for the Lakers, playing them in the NBA Finals again during 2010; the Lakers won in seven games.

The Celtics also were especially hard for the Heat to beat, as they pushed Miami to seven games in the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals. When the Heat beat Boston, though, the Celtics’ trio of Pierce, Garnett and Allen had officially fizzled out.

Allen joined the Heat in free agency during 2012, and following the 2012-13 season, Pierce and Garnett were traded to the Brooklyn Nets. 

Though the trio only appeared in two Finals, Pierce, Garnett and Allen ushered in an exciting era for the NBA. Their success led to teams like the Heat among others forming Big 3s.

With the win in 2008, the Celtics only added to their legacy as one of the most storied franchises in league history.

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1996 NBA re-draft: The way it should have been

The 1996 draft class is often mentioned as one of the best in NBA history – and rightfully so. Its draftees combined for four MVP awards (two for Steve Nash, one apiece for Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson), 42 All-NBA selections and a whopping 68 …

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The 1996 draft class is often mentioned as one of the best in NBA history – and rightfully so. Its draftees combined for four MVP awards (two for Steve Nash, one apiece for Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson), 42 All-NBA selections and a whopping 68 All-Star appearances.

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Doc Rivers wants Ray Allen at KG’s jersey retirement

Despite even Paul Pierce being unable to heal the rift between Ray Allen and the Banner 17 crew, former Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers wants Ray Allen at Kevin Garnett’s jersey retirement.

Former Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers wants Ray Allen at Kevin Garnett’s jersey retirement ceremony when their former team honors he Hall of Fame nominee next season.

The feud between Allen and members of the Banner 17 title core has shown little sign of thawing since Allen and former teammate Paul Pierce made nice in 2017.

The rest of their one-time teammates have not proven so magnanimous, holding onto the perceived betrayal after the UConn product decamped to their rival for less money.

Allen maintains he was not respected for the level of contribution he provided, and also refuses to budge in the decade-long dispute.

Rivers hopes he can help heal the rift despite all the failures to do so to this point, noting (via ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk) he’ll “make the right calls — that doesn’t mean the right things will happen,” though.

“I think [the feud is] ridiculous, but it’s still there, with some guys, not with every guy,” added Rivers.

Pierce’s amends with Allen in 2017 teased a reconciliation might be possible for the former teammates, but the rest of his peers have yet to come around.

“I have a role in it,” Rivers offered. “I just think we won a title with Ray and we need to get over it.”

After one of their longtime rivals recently passed with the untimely accidental death of Los Angeles Lakers luminary Kobe Bryant, many across the league — including former Banner 17-era center Kendrick Perkins — publicly expressed a desire to move past comparatively trivial disputes like this one.

Whether that may become an opportunity to put this conflict to bed remains to be seen, and may be the last good opportunity to do so for some time, with Pierce’s Hall of Fame future uncertain and his number already in the rafters.

It seems unlikely Allen will get the same nod by the Celtics, at least without this wound being healed.

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Why the Boston Celtics are in no rush to retire Ray Allen’s jersey

There are quite a few members of the Boston Celtics organization, past and present, who would be against the move.

The Boston Celtics have retired 22 numbers, more than any other organization and when they retire the jersey of 15-time All-Star Kevin Garnett in the 2020-21 season, that number will jump to 23.

Suffice it to say, they’re an organization known to pay homage to the players that helped bring them a league-high 17 NBA championships. However, while the Celtics will retire the jersey of two players who were the cornerstones of their last championship team, there’s a third member who may not receive that same honor.

Per Boston.com’s Jenna Ciccotelli, the Boston Celtics’ decision of whether or not to retire Ray Allen’s No. 20 jersey will be impacted by Allen’s decision to leave the Celtics for the Miami Heat in 2012.

To be fair, it makes perfect sense why Boston would have misgivings about retiring Allen’s number despite the role he played in bringing the Celtics a championship in 2008.

Despite Allen leaving four seasons after Boston won their championship, his exit from the Celtics left a sour taste in the mouth of many of his former teammates — most notably Garnett — and the fans as well. After all, Allen left for a team that defeated Boston in Game 7 of the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals; a move seen by many as defecting to enemy lines.

Unfortunately for Allen, it would appear that at least one of the franchise’s primary decision-makers was miffed by his departure as well.

Though team president and general manager Danny Ainge makes it clear he still has a positive relationship with Allen and an appreciation for the Hall of Fame shooting guard’s tenure with the Celtics, he says of a potential jersey retirement for Allen that “these are not my decisions.”

“So if someone asks my opinion on this, I’ll weigh in at the appropriate time. But this is [Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck]’s team and he gets to make those decisions.”

That said, it would appear that Grousbeck would be at least one of the members of the organization — and one with the most influence — who is against retiring Allen’s jersey.

In fact, with Celtics forward Gordon Hayward wearing the No. 20 jersey that used to be donned by Allen, there’s a chance that the team would prefer it for the number to remain active and another player to give them a reason to retire it.

Though the move may seem to be an act of retaliation, franchise’s often retire jerseys for the most respected members of the organization. Quite frankly, that description doesn’t apply to Allen, who has yet to get on speaking terms with notable players from the 2008 championship team, including Garnett, Rajon Rondo, Kendrick Perkins and Glen “Big Baby” Davis.

Allen and Paul Pierce, who was the last Celtics player to have his jersey retired in TD Garden, have buried the hatchet but that obviously doesn’t mean that others are.

There’s no rush to pay Allen a respect that quite a few would disagree with but, with the 10-time All-Star now enshrined in the Hall of Fame, there are worse things that could happen. Maybe the Heat will retire his jersey as a consolation, in respect for his efforts in bringing the team a championship in 2013, although the jerseys of players like LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Udonis Haslem would have to be retired first.

Celtics off to their best home start since winning championship in 2008

There are plenty of parallels between the Boston Celtics championship team in 2008 and this iteration of the C’s.

With an 8-0 record at home to start the 2019-20 season, including wins over the Toronto Raptors, Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat, the Boston Celtics now have their best record at home since 2007-08. A season notable because it ended in Boston hoisting up the Larry O’Brien trophy that summer after defeating Kobe Bryant’s Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals.

In 2007-08, however, the Celtics managed to start the season 12-0 at home. This season, Boston has just two-thirds of the wins that that team had, although the similarities extend far beyond the team records.

Like the 2008 champions, this season’s roster features a star player that was acquired over the summer and follows a theme of camaraderie that’s reminiscent of the Celtics’ championship team practicing the African philosophy of “Ubuntu.”

In the summer of 2007, Celtics president and general manager Danny Ainge had managed to acquire two stars, to be specific: Seattle SuperSonics sharpshooter Ray Allen and Minnesota Timberwolves superstar Kevin Garnett.

The trades allowed Boston to form the first modern-day Big Three, with Allen and Garnett flanking team captain Paul Pierce. As a result, the Celtics has a myriad of takeover scorers who were complemented by defensive-minded role players like Tony Allen, Kendrick Perkins, Leon Powe and Rajon Rondo (not that the Big Three couldn’t hold their own defensively).

But the secret to the team’s success was their chemistry; they were genuinely happy for one another’s success and played for each other on the court, akin to how soldiers will tell you they’re a band of brothers.

This summer, the Celtics only had to make one blockbuster trade, which netted them former Charlotte Hornets point guard Kemba Walker.

However, they have flanked the quartet of Walker, Jayson Tatum, Gordon Hayward and Jaylen Brown with defensive-minded role players like they did in 2007. This time, with players like Grant Williams, Daniel Theis, Robert Williams III, Semi Ojeleye and Marcus Smart.

Further, like Boston’s last championship team, this iteration of the Celtics practice an altruism and have formed a camaraderie that fits well with the “Ubuntu” philosophy of interdependence. The team realizes that it’s only as strong as the sum of its part and recognizes the importance of every player, which can’t be said of Boston’s mindset last season.

That said, a strong start at home (or altogether) and improved chemistry won’t be why Boston wins a championship. Certainly, they’ll likely benefit from homecourt advantage in the playoffs and teams who make deep runs in the postseason are indeed those with the best chemistry but constant improvement will be the key to their ultimate success. Both as a team and individuals.

Tatum is arguably the most talented player on the team but has to overcome his slow starts. The Celtics need more from their bench and to shake up their defense. Everyone hopes that Brown and Hayward can keep up the it strong play.

But those concerns are far less of a hindrance to their potential than the issues they faced last season. From a fractured locker room to Hayward and Brown’s struggles to start the season to their inability to play well consistently enough.

That said, their 8-0 start at TD Garden is symbolic even if it’s not predictive. This isn’t only what’s arguably the most talented team Boston has had since 2007-08 but arguably their most unified group since then as well (the Celtics under Isaiah Thomas were pretty close-knit).

What it all means at the end of the season anybody’s guess but at this point, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Boston emerge from the East as NBA Finals contenders.

Steph Curry, Klay Thompson selected to The Athletic’s All-Decade team

Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green are three of the best Warriors ever.

As arguably the best backcourt ever, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson will go down as two of the best guards in NBA history.

Curry’s and Thompson’s greatness was recognized Monday by Zach Harper of The Athletic. Harper placed Curry and Thompson on The Athletic’s All-Decade team for the 2010s. Curry was picked as the lead guard for the first team, and Thompson was selected as a wing on the second team. Along with Curry and Thompson, Draymond Green earned honorable mention.

As three-time champions, Curry, Thompson and Green are arguably one of the best trios of all-time.

They’re up there with the 1980s Boston Celtics frontcourt of Kevin McHale, Larry Bird and Robert Parish; the Heatles that consisted of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh; the Celtics Big 3 of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen; the regularly competitive group of San Antonio Spurs legends Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker.

Curry and Thompson are two of the best shooters ever, and both are ranked in the top five among active players for 3-point field goal percentage. Curry has shot 43.5% from the 3-point line for his career, and Thompson has shot 41.9%.

Green is one of the best defenders of this era, and he’s arguably the most valuable role player of this generation as well. It’s hard to say the Warriors would have been as feared had Green not been on the team.

With his facilitating and hustle, Green was one of the Warriors’ most important players during their run from 2014-2019.

As the decade comes to a close, the Warriors are no longer one of the league’s best teams. Next season, though, with Curry and Thompson presumably healthy, the Warriors should be competitive again.

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Kevin Durant and a Ray Allen reunion? Sugar Ray says it almost happened

Former Boston Celtics sharpshooter Ray Allen recounts his interest in returning to Boston it they were able to bring Kevin Durant on board.

Ray Allen’s return to the Boston Celtics may have never really been in the cards after he left the team to win his second and final ring with the Miami Heat but, according to the Hall of Fame guard, there was a brief window when it almost happened.

Speaking on a recent episode of Boston-area local sports radio show Ordway, Merloni and Fauria, the 10-time All-Star explained how he was a superstar decision away from putting on the green and white one more time.

“I had a conversation with [Celtics president Danny Ainge] and I told him this was my last-ditch effort. I would’ve went back,” said Allen of that career-defining moment in the summer of 2016 (via WEEI’s Nick Friar), as teams around the league — Boston included — waited on the free agency decision of Kevin Durant.

Durant, who ultimately chose (to the rest of the league’s chagrin) to join the Golden State Warriors, evidently would have been the siren call to Jesus Shuttlesworth (as Allen is sometimes called). But then, it’s never a tough sell to convince players to suit up for a real shot at a ring, which Durant’s presence before his Achilles injury could perhaps have granted the Celtics.

“This was when Kevin Durant was a free agent. He was thinking about going to Boston. And I said, ‘Hey, if you guys land Kevin, I would certainly look at lacing them back up one more time and try to make something good happen here in Boston.’

And it was a great story if it went that way, if it happened. After that I wasn’t — it’s great to talk about it. There’s a lot of nostalgia associated with it. But, what’s done is done and you kind of have to move on.”

Ultimately, despite recruiting New England Patriots superstar quarterback Tom Brady to encourage the DMV native to sign with the Celtics, the bid fell short and Allen remained retired. All is well that ends well though, as Sugar Ray — called such for the sweet and smooth game he displayed in his time with the NBA — indeed moved on to settling into retired life as well as anyone cut from his cloth might.

Allen, now 44 years old, is still prepared to play if he should ever get a call though. Well regarded for his pregame preparation and workout routine, the UConn product was quick to note he could still come back and be an impact player at age 44, noting “If I had to play tomorrow, I can do it … As many (minutes) I need to play”.

Players known for their meticulous preparation never truly let go of that part of their personality. So as Allen says, it’s better to, “Stay ready, [so] you never have to get ready”.

As to whether there was ever any real traction to KD linking up with Allen in Boston, well — we’ll just have to take the shooter at his word.