The official support Ray Allen thread..

[mustang]

I'm a big Ray Allen fan...and I can tell you, we're not going to win anything if he takes 4-6 shots a game. Shooters need to shoot, as he said (though I agree he shouldn't have said so publicly). He's also catching passes from Rondo down at his knees and off to the side, which just isn't helpful.

The onus really is on Doc--he allowed a pretty pedestrian gameplan to take one of his major weapons out of the equation, and instead of counterpunching is saying things like, "well, if Ray never takes another shot and we win, that'll be great!" It doesn't work that way--somebody starts doubling one of your big guys (as the LeBronettes did after Ray killed them during the regular season), you adjust accordingly. What do you think is going to happen if Detroit or San Antonio or LA decides to double Paul or trap him hard the way CLE did Ray? Will Doc say the same thing about not taking any shots and winning? First off, there's no way Paul would accept Doc's gameplan and take only 4 shots all game (which may be to his credit, I can't really decide)--he's going to get "his," and that's that (and thank god for that given Sunday's performance). Ray and KG aren't built like that...secondly, it would be just as dumb for Doc to fail to adjust to that as it was for this...

Doc should've A) run some plays for him early (Ray took exactly 1 shot in the first quarter of Games 6-7), or, if he wasn't going to do that, B) make him the Hondo/Ginobli and bring him in halfway through the first quarter with a mission to score. I'm sure if Doc told him he wasn't starting but was going to finish games and get 2-3 times as many shots as he was getting with the first unit, he'd be fine (esp. if he was playing with House or Cassell, each of whom put the ball where it needs to be when Ray is coming off picks/screens and are more willing (at least in Sam's case) to wave off Pierce when he's demanding the ball as they're getting into their halfcourt set).

But Doc did nothing, he threw up his hands and let it happen. And Ray's comments today, however wrong it was for him to go public with them, illustrate the problem with that theory--any alpha dog is going to buy into a system and let the offense come to him only if the offense eventually does come to him--which it just hasn't, in Ray's case, and he's taking grief from all sides for it.

I really am worried about what happens when we finally meet good coaching in these playoffs. Now we're dealing with Flip and the most "veteran" club in the league, and whatever you can say about Flip, he knows KG as well as anyone in the league...and then if we get past Detroit, we'll have Pop or Phil to deal with alongside personnel far superior to CLE or ATL. Doc's got to get himself together, and fast...

But I think Ray will come around this series. Rip and he have history, and are the same body type, less banging and more running...but Doc has to run plays for him early. He just has to....

[BASSTHUMPER]

on espn round the horn they say ray allen has to play like ray allen not steve allen or paul allen...not funny but true


man i hope ray find that stroke..

[kevingamble34]

Ray will be fine, I love Ray and wish him the best.  He just has to be a little more aggressive is all.  He'll get that stroke back and win us a couple of games vs. Detroit, I'm sure of it!

[bf17290]

COME ON RAY!

[chrismcc13]

we love ya ray, couldn't have gotten this far in the regular and post season without you, even though you were struggling! he brings proffesionalism, discipline, and classiness to our team.  I know Ray will get out of this mini-slump.  he's only getting a few shots a game, and they're hard to make if you're not handling the ball 24/7 a la rondo/pierce.  we're all rootin for ya still

[Mr October]

I bet Ray is gonna get a nice groove in one of these first 2 games. Get a nice 15-18 points. And then there will be one game where he will pour it on from 3.

Lets go to Ray early and often to get something going!

[kenmaine]

Ya, but if Doc benched him, would he support the team? He sure didn't sound like a happy camper in the recent interview I saw. Blaming his bigs for not hitting guys he's guarding, blaming Rondo for not getting him the ball, etc.  Not very classy or professional IMO. He should be looking in the mirror instead, or at least taking the blame for playing like crap, whatever he feels.
So do I want him to do well?- of course.
Will telling him how much we all love him, and he can do it, and he's the greatest, make any difference?
The man makes what? $15 million/year?. He doesn't need support- he needs to make shots!
Yes, I'm an old grouch, what about it?

[bf17290]

COME ON RAY. NO FEAR. JUST SHOT IT.

[Redz]

COME ON RAY. NO FEAR. JUST SHOT IT.

and MAKE IT (you forgot that part )

[Roy Hobbs]

COME ON RAY. NO FEAR. JUST SHOT IT.

and MAKE IT (you forgot that part )

Shots first.  The makes will come.

[bf17290]

Good win. Get em next time Ray.

[Andy Jick]

stop thinking, ray...just shoot it.

[fairweatherfan06]

ditto Andy Jick.  But I'm ok with this, he got some looks, he stayed aggressive going to hole and he helped in other ways (assists, defense, steals). The shots will fall.

[Celtic]

I think Ray really needs a road trip to get going, there's just too much pressure at home right now, and after every miss when the crowd gasps, I think it's getting to him. I think playing in an arena where all the fans want him to miss, rather than at home, will get his killer instinct going.

[kenrti]

have you seen how the Pistons (and the cavs for that matter) keep double teaming ray when he touches the ball?
even if he doesn't score much, he opens up the lane for pierce and garnett so much more....so I say even if he doesn't shoot, detroit knows they can't give him the chance to shoot, which makes him the perfect teammate for pierce and kg....

so no worries really....