You’ve taught him well, Denzel.
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| Back in his Bucks days, Ray never would've thought he'd eventually break his idol Reggie Miller's record |
Yes, I am going to be one of approximately 521,874 people writing about Ray Allen today. After breaking Reggie Miller’s record for all-time most three pointers made tonight vs. the Lakers (a perfect opponent to do it against), a usually humble Ray Allen embraced the spotlight. By the way, did anyone else notice he tried even harder to break the record while Kobe guarded him? And when he finally got there, look how Kobe made 0-effort to try to close out on him. They both knew very well that the highlight clip of him hitting the record-breaking three would be forever enshrined in all basketball media. Kobe wanted no part of that, and Ray tried to make it happen.
Anyway, what is there to say about the guy? Unbelievable shooter, one of the hardest workers in the league, a total class act – he’s got the total package. Jesus Shuttlesworth has the purest jumper the league has ever seen. And unlike Reggie, he did it without kicking his feet out to get a few cheap calls to go his way. His lightning-quick release and perfect technique makes him ridiculously hard to guard (especially in NBA 2K11 – just ask my friend Moy). If you give him an inch, he’ll drill one in your face. Even though he’s 35, he still knows how to utilize offensive sets and take advantage of screens in order to give him enough space to fire away. If you want your kids to learn how to shoot, you need to show them tapes of Ray Allen’s routine. If you’re older than 6 and haven't started practicing with good form, you’re already behind where he was.
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| Ray was one of the league's most prolific scorers in his days with Seattle |
One of the most interesting anecdotes I’ve heard about Ray: when he was on the Sonics (sorry, Seattle fans), his coach at the time, Bob Hill, was getting on his players at a practice during the 2005-06 season. I can’t find a record of the actual conversation that went on, but I remember something to this effect:
Bob Hill (to his other players): You guys all need to step up, especially when Ray has a bad shooting night like last night.
Ray Allen: Coach, I didn’t shoot poorly last night…
Bob Hill: Huh?! You shot [some poor percentage]. What do you mean you didn’t shoot poorly?
Ray Allen: They all felt good coming off my hand. I shot OK, they just didn’t go in.
Again, not an exact transcript of what was said but that’s the gist of it. That’s Ray in a nutshell. He truly doesn’t care about numbers. His shooting is about routine, hard work, and discipline.
The TNT crew pointed something else out about the 3 point record: Who’s in 3rd place? Jason Kidd. He is a ridiculously distant (8,000 less 3’s or so) 3rd behind Miller and Allen. That shows how vastly superior Miller and Allen’s shooting abilities are compared to anybody else in the history in the league (or at least since 3 pointers started counting in the 70s). But while we bring that up, how the heck does Kidd have a reputation that he can’t shoot if he’s 3rd all time? Remember, he used to be called “Ason” Kidd (Jason without a J). That may be the most common misconception in basketball. Jason Kidd CAN shoot, ladies and gentlemen – especially if freakin’ Reggie Miller and Ray Allen are the only ones who’ve made more 3’s than him.
Ray's success from the three point arc carries over to his free throw shooting; he is 5th all time in free throw percentage at 89.3%. Why is he so good? He said that when he practices free throws, he doesn’t just try to make them – he tries to swish them. You can tell that when he shoots free throws, the net barely even moves after he makes them. That comes from countless hours of working on his shot with a higher-than-standard approach. Here is an interesting article by Jackie MacMullan on Ray Allen’s shooting preparation habits. One of his quotes that caught my eye was his emphasis on his hard work, not his so-called gift of being able to shoot: "I've argued this with a lot of people in my life,'' Allen said. “When people say God blessed me with a beautiful jump shot, it really pisses me off. I tell those people, 'Don't undermine the work I've put in every day.' Not some days. Every day. Ask anyone who has been on a team with me who shoots the most. Go back to Seattle and Milwaukee, and ask them. The answer is me -- not because it's a competition but because that's how I prepare.”
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Ray's sweet-looking shooting stroke is widely regarded as one of the best - if not the best - of all time |
Now, you can’t discount his God-given abilities: not many people are blessed with Ray’s muscle memory and hand-eye coordination. If Ben Wallace or Dwight Howard practiced free throws as much as Ray, they sure as hell would still be shooting pretty crappy percentages. But Ray is one of the few guys who put in the work in addition to getting by with his natural ability.
The one thing you have to wonder about Ray: why wasn’t he better? He obviously is known for his shooting, but he has a complete offensive package. He has great ball-handling ability and uses it to slash effectively, especially earlier on in his career. He’s made more clutch shots than you can count, also. You would think with all these skills, he could have been one of the greatest 2 guards in the game. He is obviously still pretty damn good, but was never considered one of the greatest all-around players. This goes to show how hard it is to become one of the elite players in the NBA; you need even more than Ray Allen’s set of skills. Do remember, though, that he is on a loaded Celtics team by joining Pierce and Garnett, and has sacrificed his numbers and personal accolades for a chance to win titles.
There are a lot of Celtics haters out there, but you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who actually dislikes Ray Allen. A damn good player and a consummate professional, he is one of the most likeable athletes in all of sports. Whenever he decides to hang up his sneakers, that three point record of his will be all but unreachable.
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