Five Years On: TA Still a Celtic

April 1, 2008

WALTHAM - There have been two Tony Allens for the Celtics this season. There is the confident one who throws down highlight-reel dunks and showcases a big smile afterward. Then there is the Allen who heard some boos at TD Banknorth Garden Sunday after missing a layup against Miami.

Celtics coach Doc Rivers has said his main goal by the end of the regular season is to get Allen going. The frustrated Allen hopes Rivers gets his wish, too. "I show flashes of what level I can play," Allen said. "It's just trying to get that consistency."

Allen is averaging 6.2 points and 2.2 rebounds in 18 minutes per game in his role as a reserve, spelling Ray Allen and Paul Pierce. His most productive month was February, when he averaged 9.9 points and 1.1 steals in 19.7 minutes, shot 52.6 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from 3-point range. He scored at least 14 points four times in 11 contests. In March, however, Allen regressed.

"He's struggling, but he's coming out of it," Rivers said. "He did some good things [against Miami]. Obviously, the layup was a blunder. But that happens. Overall, he's doing some good things." "There are so many plays where he has the ball and teams are leaving him open and telling him to shoot it," Ray Allen said. "It's confidence for him and using the power he has in his legs to get up into his shot.

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"There have been two Tony Allens for the Boston Celtics this season." Let's be honest. Marc Spears could have ended the sentence after the word "Celtics." The above story could have been inked at any time between June 2004, when Allen was drafted by the Celtics with the 25th pick in the first round, and today. And yet Tony Allen has managed to remain a Boston Celtic for five years, and, barring a trade, he's about to start season number six.

I never disliked Tony, as many Celtics fans have. Nor did I ever think he was gonna be an All-Star, like other devotees believed. Nope. I just figured what we saw is what we got. Still, my one TA highlight I'm gonna hang on to is from 12/30/2007, when a bunch of my friends convened at a local drinking hole to watch Celtics-Fakers at Staples. We were fired up for the demolition. Only problem was Rajon Rondo was out with an injury.

Who got the spot start in his place?

Yup. TA.

All he did was post 13 first-half points, including a 27-foot three-pointer, to go along with some smothering defense. He came up big in a big game. I'll remember this like I remember Rick Carlisle scoring double digits against the purple at the Forum in February 1986. Role players coming up big when it counts: it's what the Boston Celtics are all about. Perhaps this is why Celtics' fans obsess about who populates the deep bench positions on the roster.

Sooner or later, they'll be asked to step up, too.