What Double Ankle Surgery?

June 2008

What Double Ankle Surgery?

LOS ANGELES - Ray Allen waved off Kevin Garnett and squared up to the basket, and from that point on, Sasha Vujacic was pretty much toast. Allen juked. Vujacic buckled. And the Celtics had another signature moment, a piece of hardwood history all but narrated by James Earl Jones.



THIS GAME, THAT DRIVE, IT'S A PART OF OUR PAST, RAY. IT REMINDS OF EVERYTHING THAT ONCE WAS GOOD. AND THAT COULD BE AGAIN.

The Celtics are now just one win from their 17th NBA title and a funny thing has happened on the road back to redemption: As of today, old Mr. Allen is the Finals MVP. The Celtics still have a game to win and, perhaps, multiple games to play, but in the big picture that has been this extraordinary Celtics reversal, there has been no greater turnaround than the one belonging to Allen.

``Oh, it was huge. It was huge,'' coach Doc Rivers said of Allen's drive-and-deliver that all but finalized a 97-91 victory Thursday night over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 4. ``Paul (Pierce) was exhausted, and you could see it. I mean, he didn't even - on that play, he didn't want to come to the ball. It was really supposed to be a middle pick-and-roll with Kevin and Ray.

``Ray waved Kevin off because he liked the matchup that he had already, so he didn't want to bring another defender in to help. It was a great call by Ray. And then him getting to the basket was huge. The layup was just tremendous.''

Vujacic? He looked more like Sasha Cohen, as if he was trying to defend Allen on ice skates. It's a miracle he didn't break one of his ankles.

Ah yes, the ankles. Remember them? The ankles were the reason many scoffed at the Allen acquisition last June, when Celtics vice president of basketball operations Danny Ainge put what would become his master plan into motion. Allen was coming off double ankle surgery. He was about to turn 32. Allen did not have much left, many argued, and the Celtics were foolish to trade a package that included the No. 5 pick and Delonte West for a guy on borrowed time.

Allen heard all of that, to be sure, and anyone who bothered to listen closely enough got a glimpse of his competitiveness, too. During the Eastern Conference finals, when he was repeatedly asked about chasing around Rip Hamilton, Allen consistently dismissed the notion that he was tired. Every time someone asked what it was like to guard a man who was in such phenomenal physical condition, Allen tactfully delivered his reply.