Ray turning back the clock

[Jon]

I think it shows you just how hard it is for everyone to come together and fit in as a group.  Not to say they didn't click when they won in 2008; however, I think Ray's shooting success is very much a product of him finally being comfortable in his role.  I think in his Seattle days he was used to getting the ball on every possession.  Then the past few years here, he might not get the ball until the last few seconds of the shot clock when someone finds him in the corner. 

Also, it doesn't hurt that Ray, at 35, might be one of the most well-conditioned players in the NBA. 

[Spilling Green Dye]

Don't wipe away his successes either.  The man has won us many a playoff game.

Game 2 of the 2010 Finals, and the 2009 Chicago series.  I will not take those from him, but those are the only ones I specifically recall him "winning for us".

[Neurotic Guy]

Ray looks like he doesn't age... or even gets better with age. Amazing.

Playing at a high level at 35 is, I think, a combination of a few ingredients:
1) Luck
2) Good genetics
3) Hard work
4) Comfort in the lifestyle of a professional athlete

I am convinced that some physically capable guys fizzle out because they start to lose their lust for the work, the travel, and the lifestyle of a professional athlete.  It seems that it takes either a guy who won't grow up (read: Brett Fahvre) or someone who has approached his craft as a consumate professional like Ray to master the non-physical aspects inherent in withstandstanding the test of time.

[Drucci]

Don't wipe away his successes either.  The man has won us many a playoff game.

Game 2 of the 2010 Finals, and the 2009 Chicago series.  I will not take those from him, but those are the only ones I specifically recall him "winning for us".

Game 4 of the 2008 NBA Finals, Game 6 too (he made it a real blowout), Game 1 or 2 against Orlando in 2010, Game 5 against Cleveland in 2010, the entire series against Miami... the list goes on and on.

[blueygreen]

You can probably also add Game 5 or 6 of the series against Detroit (I don't remember which one off the top of my head) in 2008. He was a serious contender for Finals MVP in 2008 which is a real testament to how well Ray was playing (given Pierce had a fantastic series).

Also, a few people have mentioned a number of games/series now, how many playoff games in comparison can you say KG or Pierce (or Rondo) "won for us". I don't think the discrepancy is as large as you might think, if there's one at all.

Secondly, having players "win games for us" really isn't the type of basketball we've been playing over the last couple of seasons. We're playing as a team and we don't need our stars to drop ridiculous stat lines in order to win. Sometimes an efficient 15 point night from Ray can be just as important as when the offense is stagnant from everybody else and he needs to shoot 7 or 8 threes for us to win. I'll leave the insane stat lines and losing games to LeBron if that's okay with you