Ray Allen takes pride in doing things the same way, over and over again. If you watch video clips of him on YouTube, you'll notice his release looks the same, every time, all the time.
But if you watch him closely over the course of the season, especially the playoffs, you'll notice he does a lot of things basically the same way. The way he dribbles, the way he spins, crouches down on defense, jump-passes... it's so consistent, it's uncanny.
But then again, do we expect anything less from one of the the smoothest, most fundamentally sound players in the NBA? I mean, if you want your kids to watch someone play the game, Ray Allen is it. He does all the basics right. Dribbles with his head up. Finishes well with either his left or his right hand. Shoots with perfect balance.
Maybe the speed is no longer there; maybe the explosiveness is gone. But Allen has shown that if you really know how to play the game well, it doesn't matter. Heck, at 32 and with two surgically repaired ankles he still managed to blow past Sasha Vujacic in Game 4, and Sasha isn't exactly a wimp on D.
Ray doesn't look as intense as KG, or as passionate as Pierce, but he is one thing, and he proved it in the Finals: solid. Rock solid. He was the team's most consistent player, the guy who kept them in some games, and won others.
He sacrificed the most to give the Celtics a legitimate chance at a championship, and his sacrifices were rewarded. Now he's a winner; now he's like that other fundamentally-sound player in San Antonio: a champion.
But if you watch him closely over the course of the season, especially the playoffs, you'll notice he does a lot of things basically the same way. The way he dribbles, the way he spins, crouches down on defense, jump-passes... it's so consistent, it's uncanny.
But then again, do we expect anything less from one of the the smoothest, most fundamentally sound players in the NBA? I mean, if you want your kids to watch someone play the game, Ray Allen is it. He does all the basics right. Dribbles with his head up. Finishes well with either his left or his right hand. Shoots with perfect balance.
Maybe the speed is no longer there; maybe the explosiveness is gone. But Allen has shown that if you really know how to play the game well, it doesn't matter. Heck, at 32 and with two surgically repaired ankles he still managed to blow past Sasha Vujacic in Game 4, and Sasha isn't exactly a wimp on D.
Ray doesn't look as intense as KG, or as passionate as Pierce, but he is one thing, and he proved it in the Finals: solid. Rock solid. He was the team's most consistent player, the guy who kept them in some games, and won others.
He sacrificed the most to give the Celtics a legitimate chance at a championship, and his sacrifices were rewarded. Now he's a winner; now he's like that other fundamentally-sound player in San Antonio: a champion.
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