As Ray Allen walked off the court in Miami last year during the Eastern Conference Finals, I tried to figure out how he was feeling. Obviously, he was saddened and disappointed that his team lost to the Miami Heat after leading the best of 7 series 3-2, but the other thing I thought he must of been feeling was is this it? Is this the last time I'm going to be a Boston Celtic? When that loss happened, I thought there was no way the Celtics were bringing him back since they had Avery Bradley in the wing, but they did want him back. And they wanted him back a lot, offering him a supposed 2 year, 12 million dollar deal with a no trade clause, but Ray said no thanks. A decision that stunned all.
I was devastated by the news that my favorite Celtic was leaving, but I wasn't going to turn on him until I heard more details. Once I heard the details though, I was shocked. Ray Allen took less money to go to the Miami Heat, and play backup to Dwayne Wade, when he could have had more money and potentially started for the Celtics. It made no sense to me, but in hindsight, it did, because the Miami Heat were a better team. They had the best player in the league in Lebron James and arguably two other top 15 players, which catapulted them to the NBA title. That all made sense to me, but I still thought he'd stay since he always talked about how much he loved Boston. Then the other stories starting coming out.
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| Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo getting at it |
Behind closed doors, it was said Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo didn't get along because Rondo always followed him around, looked him off, or got too cocky as the team's best player. Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett were okay with it being Rondo's team, but Ray wasn't, which led to arguments and even fights supposedly. Once I heard this, it was no surprise why Ray left because as long as Rondo was going to be on the team, he wasn't.
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| Say it isn't so Ray. Ray Allen at his Miami Heat press conference |
Now that I knew all I needed to know, I braced myself for Ray Allen's press conference in Miami; it was hard to watch since he was in enemy colors and wearing a different number, but something about him was different. He looked relaxed and at peace with his decision, which I happy about, but in the Boston media and airwaves, people thought otherwise. They were saying all sorts of terrible things about Ray, like calling him a traitor or wishing something evil on his family. That is where I draw the line on Boston sports and their fans. I understand being passionate and being hurt by an athlete's decision to leave, but this is sports; it's a business and this happens all the time. Why are you wishing for someone to get hurt when all this person did was help you win a title, play hurt, and help out the community? Ray Allen is a good human being who was just making a decision that was best for his family. Is that wrong? People call him a traitor for leaving, but management always wanted to trade him, so how are they being loyal? If anything, it sounds like the Celtics and their fans are just sore losers cause they know the Miami Heat got better.
The NBA season started opening night when the Celtics played the Heat and lost 120-107. Ray Allen contributed 19 points, but the story of the game was that Kevin Garnett didn't acknowledge him, and he didn't acknowledge Rajon Rondo. They haven't crossed paths since then, but now they do today when Ray comes back to Boston for the first time in a Heat uniform. I know Boston and their fans won't cheer him on since they've done it for other athletes like Johnny Damon, but I will stand and cheer, since Ray Allen was, and will always be my favorite Celtic. Some people may call me an untrue fan for doing that, but I say f**k em'! There comes a time when people need to stop being sore losers. Boston fans say they're mad Ray Allen left, when they should be angry their team almost sucks as bad as the Lakers. Most Boston fans only want to remember the negative stuff, but I will be one fan who remembers the positive times. Thank you Ray Allen for everything you did for Boston! I'll be watching you today and cheering you on as you come back home.
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| The good times! (L-R) Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce after winning the first Celtics title in 26 years. |
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