photo by steed media service

While Paul Pierce leads the Celtics in scoring and Kevin Garnett is heavy in the running for the league’s Most Valuable Player, Ray Allen has quietly put together one of his most impressive regular seasons to date. Allen’s Celtics find themselves atop the Eastern Conference playoff picture with the NBA’s best record. Allen’s clutch shooting and leadership have been prominent factors in the team’s resurgence to NBA glory.

This week, the Celtics added veteran point guard Sam Cassell to the mix, as they ready for a run at the title. And with Detroit and Orlando gunning to be the early conference favorites, it would seem Boston’s “Big Three” might feel hard-pressed to produce a championship. Just don’t expect Allen to buy into the hype.

“There’s really no pressure,” says Allen on his team’s prospects. “I think being good, playing on a good team, you just continue to do what you do. I think most people expect certain things out of [our run], but we can’t do anything more than we’re capable of with our own ability, so we just look forward to having a good time.”

Averaging almost 18.7 points per game to go along with shooting 40 percent from behind the arc, Allen’s numbers seemed typical until he lit up the NBA All-Star game with 28 points. It seems “Jesus Shuttlesworth” is coming in to form at the right time and there’s no doubt the Celtics could use Allen’s playoff averages of 24.7 points and 4.8 assists per game, as they take on a very weak Eastern Conference.

Regardless of championship hardware or the demands of playing for what could be one the greatest teams ever, there’s no place that Allen would rather be than in New England, where he was once an All-American for the University of Connecticut.

“There’s so much history in Boston, I’m just proud to be a member of the Celtics,” he says. “There’s so many legends, so much great history, so many championships, so I’m glad to be a part of it.”
–gavin philip godfrey

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