People saying Ray lost a step really are missing the point. They honestly are. Ray Allen was carrying this team a lot and was its most consistent player at the start of this season.
Yes, he's not as fast as he use to be. Yes, his age is showing. But this is the same Ray Allen that can still score big against elite competition. This is the same Ray Allen that was the team's leading scorer at the start of the season when Pierce hadn't gotten his game back yet. This is the same Ray Allen that shot the [dang] lights out from three point range in last year's playoffs.
No matter how much Bradley has improved, he will probably never be half as skilled a three point shooter as Ray Allen is. Ray commands a level of respect that is matched by only the most elite in this game. When Ray is on point, it becomes that much more difficult to beat this team. He stretches the floor and makes a team pay in a way that nobody else on this team is capable of.
Not Pierce, not Bradley, not Pietrus, not Pavlovic. Nobody does it better than Ray.