I'm tired of the anti Ray talk. I'm tired of the unrealistic expectations of a 21 year old kid.
Ray Allen's impact on this team is huge. Forget the LARGE number of huge shots he has hit over these past 5 years (and it's a very large number) the spacing, playing decoy, ect. ect. ect.
We need him. It literally bothers me to hear the negative talk about him. He has done nothing but help this franchise win. Even playing incredible defense in the playoffs over the years.
If Ray was playing tonight, we win, IMO. We didn't hit a single 3 pointer tonight. Bradley is going to be a fine player, but this stage is just flat out too big for him right now..
Walter Ray Allen, please get well soon.
Ray Allen didnt show up at all in the 2008 series vs the Hawks, and has historically not shown up in the playoffs except for a few games in his Celtic career.
I dont get why you think Ray will all of the sudden be some huge scorer for the entire playoffs, he is a streak shooter, its a coin flip if hes going to have it for a series, and judging by how neither KG or PP had it for the first half, I wouldnt expect Ray after missing all this time to have it either.
This. I want Ray to be healthy and available and raining threes, but if my memory serves correctly, there hasn't been one playoff series in Ray's Celtics career in which he's been consistently good the whole series.
Finals 2008.
Where was he before the finals though? If I recall he was in the "biggest slump in NBA history"
C'mon. You said he didn't have one good series with the Cs in his whole career. Now you're changing the question and claiming it's the biggest slump in NBA history. Are you serious?
There's nothing that happened here that has diminished his career and he's a HOF lock. He's had one very bad series since he's been here. Every one of the Big 4 has. KG last year against MIA getting destroyed by CB, Pierce against the Cavs in 2010 where he managed to be second highest scorer just once the whole series while struggling to contain Lebron, Rondo against the Lakers in 2008 when many were calling for him to be benched after fading under the pressure in games 3-5, Ray vs the Cavs in 2008. It's happened to all of them.
Ray had another good series in 2008 against ATL and was in the top 3 scorers 6 of 7 games. In the 2008 Finals he was arguably the MVP. He's destroyed the record for threes in a Finals series in 2008, shot a blistering 66% for his eFG (compared to Paul's 50%), was second highest scorer, and outplayed Kobe who was his match-up.
Too long ago to remember? Ray was in the top three scorers in 8 of 9 playoff games last season tied with Pierce again, top scorer a team-leading 3 times, and beat the Knicks with a last possession come-from-behind 3 pointer with 3 seconds left on the clock in game 1 breaking their little hearts once again.
Ray's been in the top scorer in 1 in every 4 playoff games since he's been a Celtic, second to Pierce, and he's been in the top three scorers in 2 of every 3 playoff games, again second only to Pierce.