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Celtics start is the same, but Ray Allen isn't
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Photo by Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images
Kevin Garnett is still super intense (like, parody level intense). Paul Pierce is still an emotional leader and Hall of Famer. But unlike last year, when the Celtics also bolted out of the gates top a 20-2 start, Ray Allen is absolutely on fire.
The numbers don't lie. In December, he's hitting 57% of his shots and scoring 26.5 ppg. He's shooting 51.4% from THREE. That's a ridiculous number. That's like Tiger Woods making eagles on par 5's silly. Home runs in every 3 at bats silly.
Oh, and he hasn't missed a free throw yet this month.
Get it? He's hot. Hotter than we expected. We knew Ray would be good for us, but he's been the man. The difference? He's healthy.
Last year, Ray was coming off of surgery on both his ankles. He swore he was fine, but he wasn't. He just toughed it out.
"There was so much great stuff going on here that I wasn't going to make an excuse on what was going on with me. I just had to work. I knew I had to work doubly hard to be ready to play in games, to be in practice, to make this team better. Winning a championship was our goal. That's what I was focused on."
Looking back, and taking his recovery into account, we can really appreciate all of the things he did for us last year. Not only did he set an example to the rest of the team about how to tough out an injury, he made sure he was on the court when the Big 3 needed to jell more than anything. He made sure he was on the court, at the detriment of his own game, to make sure his teammate were comfortable with where he would be on the court in certain situations. That's vital. Developing that comfort level with your teammates can be the difference between winning a game 7, and losing one. And we know how much the Celtics needed game 7's last year.
Will Ray be able to keep this up? It's hard to tell. But other teams know he's a big-time threat now. He's the old Ray again. And even if he does slow down, the damage is done. He's opened up the game for his teammates. And he's given us a fuller appreciation for what he endured last year to help deliver us a championship. And maybe he's paving the way for another one, too.
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