Jesus Saves his Best for Last

June 17, 2008

Jesus Saves his Best for Last

One after another. Rhythm, release, splash. Nothing but net

Ray Allen tied an NBA Finals record last night with seven 3-pointers in Game 6 against the Lakers, each dagger a tug of the rope raising the Celtics' 17th championship banner to the rafters at TD Banknorth Garden. When it was all said and done, Allen joined Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Doc Rivers in a group hug celebrating the accomplishments of the Big Three.

"We just [said] we loved each other," said Rivers. "They all said, 'Thank you,' and I said, 'Thank you' back."



Rivers had to be thankful that Allen was able to make the game at all. The shooting guard left the Celtics shortly after their loss to the Lakers in Game 5 to attend to a medical situation involving his youngest son, Walker. He stayed in Los Angeles Monday to be with his family, arriving in Boston around 7 or 8 a.m. yesterday, according to Rivers

Allen is routinely the first Celtic on the floor before games, but he didn't step onto the parquet to do his pregame shooting until 5:50 p.m. With very little rest and matters other than basketball on his mind, Allen was seen muttering a few encouraging words to himself as the teams lined up during the national anthem

"We were thinking about it before [yesterday] morning, just how much [sleep] he's probably had," Rivers said before the game. "It can't be much. But he's ready. You can see it."
Rivers couldn't have been more prescient. Allen scored the Celtics' first 5 points, getting Boston on the board with his first 3-pointer 1:42 into the first quarter. A pair of free throws on the next possession gave the Celtics their first lead

But the resilient Allen was hit with another roadblock early in the game. With 4:20 left in the first, he was poked in the eye and sustained a cut on his nose. He tried to stay in but was eventually replaced by James Posey and taken to the locker room. After receiving treatment, Allen returned with 4:44 remaining in the second quarter but went scoreless until halftime.

But boy, did he get it going again in the second half. He hit his second 3-pointer just over a minute into the third quarter, then another five minutes later. But the fourth quarter was when he really found his groove. Allen hit four 3-pointers in an eight-minute span to start the fourth. He finished with 26 points.

Allen's performance in the Finals had to be particularly encouraging after a terrible start to the postseason. The low point came when he averaged 9.3 points against Cleveland in the Eastern Conference semifinals, shooting a dismal 16 percent from beyond the arc. He raised those numbers to 19.2 points and 46 percent in the Finals, and would have garnered serious consideration for MVP without the standout play of Paul Pierce

"I just stayed in my preparation," said Allen. "I didn't change one thing I did. I know teams were trying to take me out of the offense, but I wanted to make sure that I did everything to make this team better."

After the game, Allen eventually got to hold the Larry O'Brien Trophy on the podium. But even after the biggest win of his life, he didn't forget his priorities, holding his young son in his arms while his teammates celebrated. After a weekend of turmoil both personally and professionally, he finally had a chance to take it all in.

"It's such a wonderful feeling to be able to do this on this night with all the stuff that has taken place over the weekend," said Allen. "And to be able to share this with the fans in Boston has been great."