Ray Allen Says Paul Pierce Would Take Games Off During Time with Celtics

Ray Allen is escalating the rivalry with his former Boston Celtics teammates, specifically stating that Paul Pierce would take games off. 

Per Boston.com's Nicole Yang, Allen said this about Pierce in an excerpt from his upcoming book:

"[Pierce], on the other hand, would explicitly announce he was 'taking the night off' when matched up against a player who wasn’t considered to be elite. Although it was partially in jest, Pierce’s attitude ticked Allen off. He was sure to express his disapproval to Pierce, who eventually no longer joked about taking it easy."

Allen also wrote that "no player should ever have a night off" because "the worst player in the NBA would not be in the NBA if he weren’t good, which means he has the potential to beat you on any given night."

Allen spent five seasons with the Celtics from 2007-12, helping the franchise win the 2008 NBA championship and 2010 Eastern Conference championship. 

During an appearance on Area 21 last May, Pierce said Allen's decision to sign with the Miami Heat after the 2011-12 season was hurtful because he "didn’t at least give us a heads-up about it.”

Allen didn't attend Pierce's jersey retirement ceremony at the TD Garden on Feb. 11 but did congratulate his former teammate with a message on Instagram.