Mr. 2,000
Ray Allen became the second player in NBA history to hit 2,000 3-pointers when he buried his third of the game on Wednesday against Portland. Former Pacers guard Reggie Miller is the all-time leader with 2,560 successful 3-pointers.
Updated 22:12, January the 17th, 2008
The Sixth Sense
Allen reveals the reason for his success from distance
NBA. Ray Allen came out of the Celtics’ locker room in the second half of Wednesday’s win over the Blazers as an incarnation of his famous movie character.
Portland went on a small run to build a seven-point advantage, but Allen knock-ed down a 17-footer that sparked the best offensive performance by any Celtic in a half this season. Allen, who played basketball star “Jesus Shuttlesworth” in the 1998 film “He Got Game,” ripped off 26 second-half points, including 14 in the fourth quarter, to lift Boston to a crucial victory.
Allen finished with a season-high 35 points for the Celtics, who had lost three of four and two straight at home. He hadn’t been right in January prior to Wednesday, suffering through a pinched nerve in his neck that caused him to miss a game, and he struggled on the court, as well.
“[It] was probably the best, physically, that I’ve felt,” Allen said. “Being in great shape, getting used to what I’m doing here, what I’m given. For myself, I felt I was in great shape, felt good [Wednesday].
“For me, it’s a leg thing. Everything is power in my jump shot. Being able to explode, play defense, chase the pick and rolls and score on offense. There’s a lot going on out there on the floor for me, so I’ve got to make sure I have my body together.”
Allen was averaging just 10.7 points in six January games, while shooting 32.9 percent from the field and 28.1 percent from 3-point range. But, he hit 12-of-20 from the floor and went 4-of-10 from distance against the Blazers.
His third 3-pointer — the 2,000th of his career — put the Celtics ahead 89-81.
Allen really caught fire when he was aggressive going to the basket. He scored eight straight Celtics points at one point in the third quarter, the first six coming in the paint and the last two on free throws after he was fouled driving to the bucket.
He followed that up with another personal eight-point stretch late in the fourth, and scored 12 of the C’s last 14 points to keep Portland from making a serious run.
After being asked about two of his momentum-shifting 3-pointers, Allen revealed he might just have a sixth sense.
“I always tingle when I know a shot is possibly coming,” Allen said. “For some reason, it’s almost like the hairs on my arms or the back of my neck stand up because I know that shot is about to come.”