The Ageless Ray Allen

[tentoes4rings]

I almost always see people talk about El-Amin like he was the best player on the 1999 championship team and some even put him ahead of Rip on the all-time Husky list. I realize El-Amin took us over the hump and was an extremely important Husky but there is really no comparison, Rip was by far the best player on that team and proved in the tournament he was the best player in the country.

John,
Who are these idiots? I think anyone knowledgeable here feels Rip was definitely the best player on that team and certainly a better all time Husky. I not sure where you're getting this from.

 

[tzznandrew]

I never got all the anger towards Ray on this. It was pretty clear to me that the Celtics didn't really want him back, and that the offer was more a way to save face with the fans. It was good money, but it was late.

As a Celtics fan living in Boston, it didn't bother me one bit. It was very clear that the 2012 was the last year of that window: when LeBron downed the Cs in Game 6 in Boston, I was pretty sure that was the end of the line, and so rebuilding was the best option.

 

[David 76]

Is there a table with cushions on the seats for all the butthurt people?

Off course we all know of the longstanding Celtics-Heat rivalry!

Don't expect Boston fans to ever admit their team had any part of a good player leaving. They might agree to that about Babe Ruth (ownership saw him as a "problem" and his homers as "superfluous) But ask about Ray Allen, Carlton Fisk, Ellsbury, Wade Boggs, Roger Clemens etc. and you here a bunch of defensive whining and insulting the player.

Yankees almost lost Bernie Williams to the Sox. I would have still loved Bernie and blamed Yankee management. Same thing when Cashman jerked Jeter around or Donny baseball didn't get the ending he deserved from the Yankees. Most Boston fans just can't see these things

 

[Rocktheworld]

Off course we all know of the longstanding Celtics-Heat rivalry!

Seriously, Boston fans just cannot handle losing. You see it how they treat the Heat, as you sarcastically mock, like they're rivals, just because the Heat have beat them.

I honestly think Pats fans hate the Giants more than the Broncos or anyone in the AFC East. I feel like I'd get better reactions from fans in Boston if I said I was a Dolphins fan than the reactions I get when I say I grew up a Giant fan.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

A lot of experts on boston sports fandom in this thread saying a lot of things that are pretty detached from reality.

Yeah, I wonder if the city will ever get over its collective anger at jacoby ellsbury leaving town. You could see how furious they were in the tepid, polite applause he got when the Yankees came to town.

 

[Rocktheworld]

Lesson 1: reality is subjective

 

[UConn990411]

Why does every thread about Ray Allen bring out the anti-Boston morons?

 

[David 76]

There they go again!

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Lesson 1: reality is subjective

Lesson 2: you've contributed zero.

 

[caw]

Maybe Ray could have gone elsewhere, but he had no obligation to Boston. If anything Boaton fans should still love Ray bc without him there is no Garnett in a Celts uniform and no chance at a championship let alone actually winning one.

Now throw in the fact that the Celts don't get close to winning an actual championship without his production and spacing and it's beyond silly how Celtics fans view Ray.

They should love him for what he did there, instead many act like he was some cancer. It's beyond silly.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

What's beyond silly is that UConn fans are the only people still talking about this. And they are the ones who hyperventilate about other people being "butthurt."

 

[Hoophound]

What's beyond silly is that UConn fans are the only people still talking about this. And they are the ones who hyperventilate about other people being "butthurt."

I think it is really about two things:

First, KG and PP don't talk to Ray anymore. (I hadn't heard that PP won't talk to Ray either until I read it yesterday, not sure if its accurate) That kind of prolongs the whole thing and it is pretty immature. Ray was fully willing to be friendly with them and approached them at the first opportunity. I don't care, just saying that whenever it comes up, which it has this week due to the playoff series, people are going to pick sides.

Second, there are just a lot of UConn fans that hate the Celtics. CT is pretty evenly divided between NY and Boston fans so half of all UConn fans probably hate the Celtics to begin with. That adds fuel to the fire.

 

[amory]

Maybe Ray could have gone elsewhere, but he had no obligation to Boston. If anything Boaton fans should still love Ray bc without him there is no Garnett in a Celts uniform and no chance at a championship let alone actually winning one.

Now throw in the fact that the Celts don't get close to winning an actual championship without his production and spacing and it's beyond silly how Celtics fans view Ray.

They should love him for what he did there, instead many act like he was some cancer. It's beyond silly.

No one acts like he was a cancer. This discussion has gotten beyond ridiculous.

Celtics fans have grown to HATE the Lebron era Heat. An aging Big 3 took them to 7 games (and damn near won game 7 in Miami). We brought in JET to try to help us get one more shot at them and Ray pulled the basketball equivalent of a wrestler turning heel. Fans were pissed. Paul Pierce and KG were pissed too, and I think the fanbase fed off that. Then there was all the crap coming out about how Ray left because he didn't like Rondo. Here's the thing: Celtic fans really like Rajon Rondo. So then that added more fuel to it.

The Celtic fanbase isn't the UConn fanbase where Ray Allen can do no wrong. But even so, it's not like Boston media is still bashing Ray Allen. And I was there for his first game back in the Garden. It was probably a 60/40 ratio of boos to cheers. He's not exactly universally disliked.

 

[Joobie]

I have no loyalty to an NBA franchise. Just my former Huskies. I didn't like the Heat. Now RayRay is on the team. So...........

That was my problem too. Love Ray. Hate the Heat. When he went there, I was pretty torn up. So...I asked Donny Marshall to talk me down off that fence. He confirmed that Ray was shafted by the Celtic organization. Bottom line. Still can't watch him in a Heat uniform...

 

[AZHuskiePop]

Because he went to the #1 team the former team wouldn't want him to go to. We can keep on doing this, but choosing in free agency to go to Miami would be like a yankee or sox player going to the other as a free agent. Yes its his decision, it doesn't make him evil, but it is not akin to pierce and KG ending up in Brooklyn. its completely different, anyone who says "how could anyone get angry with him" isn't paying attention.

If Ollie wanted 5mil a year and UConn wouldn't give it to him, and he went to Duke to be an assistant coach to take over for coach K in the future, would you be peeved?

Ollie is born and bred UConn
Both Damon and Allen got to Boston Via free agency.
It seems signing with Boston is similar to going to the Crossroads.

 

[Inyatkin]

What's funny is people acting like the Celtics latest Big 3 had some long glorious history together, and that Celtics-Heat is some great rivalry. The Heat view the Celtics as rivals the way UConn views BC as a rival.

 

[UConn990411]

What's funny is people acting like the Celtics latest Big 3 had some long glorious history together, and that Celtics-Heat is some great rivalry. The Heat view the Celtics as rivals the way UConn views BC as a rival.

Uh, no.

Maybe the Celtics and Heat didn't play each other in the playoffs every year, but the Celtics and LeBron did. They squared off four out of five times from 2008-12, with the Celtics ending LeBron's season twice and LeBron ending theirs twice.

Those two casts of players legitimately hate one another, so I think it's safe to call it a rivalry.

 

[amory]

What's funny is people acting like the Celtics latest Big 3 had some long glorious history together, and that Celtics-Heat is some great rivalry. The Heat view the Celtics as rivals the way UConn views BC as a rival.

Big NBA fan I take it

lol

 

[David 76]

Mostly I like tweaking Boston fans. It is easy to get a rise out of them.
I do not hate the Celtics. Outside of Ray, I resent the Heat because of how they manipulated the league. But, you know who else manufactured a title?
It is like all those years the Red Sox had the second highest payroll in baseball and got all righteous about the Yankee's payroll.Like the Sox were Tampa Bay or KC.
A lot of Boston fans have that chip on their shoulders.

 

[Rocktheworld]

Mostly I like tweaking Boston fans. It is easy to get a rise out of them.

Almost to the point of it being boring.

Celtics bring in KG and Ray to win a championship
Celtics win a championship
Everyone loves it
Heat bring in Lebron, Bosh and eventually Ray to win a championship
Heat win championships
Everyone gets mad