Celtics guard Ray Allen is the swingman
Reporting from Boston -- From record breaker to breaking down.
The stunning reversal of fortune for the Celtics’ Ray Allen was practically cruel in its swiftness, considering he hit eight three-pointers two days ago, an NBA record in the finals.
Tuesday’s numbers were equally eye-popping.
Allen started ice cold and stayed frigid, going 0 for 13 from the field. He hit two free throws and added four rebounds and two assists and was 0 for 8 from three-point range in the Celtics’ loss to the Lakers in Game 3 at TD Garden on Tuesday night.
And that was the key matchup of Game 3: Allen vs. himself.
It was hardly pretty.
Glen Davis was standing in the Celtics’ locker room and listing many of the reasons behind the Lakers’ 91-84 victory.
“Ray, 0-13,” Davis said. “Who would have thought that? I know that it won’t happen again. We only lost by a couple of points. Ray hits a couple of shots and we win the game.
“Today just wasn’t our day today — Ray not hitting shots and things like that. We’ve still got to win this game because it was a winnable game for us.”
Celtics Coach Doc Rivers was asked whether he had ever seen that kind of a swing in a player.
“No, it’s a hell of a swing, I’ll tell you that,” Rivers said. “You know, it’s basketball. That’s why you can’t worry about it.
“I thought he was pressing early on some of them, and honestly, I thought all of his shots looked flat tonight. I didn’t think he had any legs.”
Rivers thought that Allen’s thigh was ailing, via a collision with Ron Artest’s knee. Allen admitted that it “did hurt.”
But he didn’t make any excuses, only mentioning the sore thigh after being asked about it. Allen praised the Lakers’ effort.
“There were a couple of shots they got their hands on,” he said. “Took a shot and they got a piece of it. I thought they did a good job defensively.”
He spoke about the wild swing in form.
“That’s why you always have to be humble,” Allen said. “Things go great, and it’s great to be a part of. But you’ve got to make sure you make good decisions, continue working on the things to be good in the future. Preparation is the biggest key.
“I never hang my head. Tomorrow is another opportunity to get back on track. I’ve got to take my hat off to them. They took [away] a lot of the open, the easier looks, that I had last time.
“I had a couple of shots that didn’t fall.”
Said the Lakers’ Derek Fisher: “We obviously didn’t expect him to go 0 for 13, but it’s a tough gig for him, to be honest, to run around offensively the way he has to and then have to guard Kobe [Bryant] on the other end. I mean, that takes anybody’s legs out.”
Allen was close to another slice of NBA history, albeit a dubious one. The all-time finals record for the biggest “ofer” from the field was Dennis Johnson’s 0 for 14 showing for Seattle against Washington in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
Don’t expect Allen to quit firing away.
“Every shot I took just felt like it was just a little short,” he said. “When it doesn’t go in, you just work on getting the next one.”
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