Why Fans Shouldn't Write Off Ray Allen

Don't go written off the 34 year old Uconn Alum.

Ray Allen, has been nothing short of one of the best if not the best shooter known to the game.  While Reggie Miller might have the slight edge on Ray, Ray's set to pass Reggie's all time NBA 3-PT leader by the end of next season. At the start of the year Ray needed 213 to do so, he's currently at 101.

While his numbers are down across the board this season, people don't stop to really analyze the situation at hand.  Instead, the rush into assuming that the veteran is all done.  Take a look at Grant Hill, he's a much older, and more physical player than Ray Allen, but he still plays great Basketball.  I saw him Dunk like he was 25 the other night against the jazz. 

The reason Ray's numbers are down is because the Celtics are a Big 5 (or Big 4).  There's no team out there that matches the consistent scoring of the entire starting lineup.  Kendrick Perkins, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Rajon Rondo are all averaging, 10.8, 14.5, 17.7, 16.3, & 14 respectively. Notice every starter is averaging double digit ppg. Combine for 73.4 ppg

Now if we were to compare those to the Lakers and Cavaliers (arguably two of the best teams in the NBA) things are quite different. 

The Cavaliers run the starting lineup (before the shaq injury) of Shaq, Antawn Jamison, Lebron James, Anthony Parker, and Mo Williams who average, 12, 15.4 (as a cav), 30, 7.3,  15.8 respectively.  Combine for 80.5 ppg

The Lakers run the staring lineup of Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol, Ron Artest, Kobe Bryant, and Derek Fisher, who average, 14.8, 16.8, 11.4, 27.5, and 7.4 respectively.  All whom combine for 74.9.

Although, the Celtics starting lineups, was the lowest of the bunch (trails Cleavland by 7.1, and LA by 1.5) the difference really isn't that large.  I don't hear anybody say "oh Ron Artest is all washed up" even though he's been a scorer all his life and now only averaging 11.4 ppg. 

When you think about it Ray Allen has truly kept this team together.  There was a time this season against the Toronto Raptors, when KG, Pierce, and Rondo were all out with injury, leaving nearly every duty on the court to Ray Allen.  Ray was accompanied that night by the starting lineup of Perkins, Rasheed Wallace, Tony Allen, and JR Giddens.  Ray was given not only the burden of playing PG but also scoring.  Long story short, the Celtics won. 

Most recently the celtics were with out Paul Pierce on a very hard west coast road trip.  The first difficult game was against rival LA Lakers, Ray dropped 24 points, on 66% shooting including 4 of 6 from deep.  The next three games which were against Portland, Denver and New York. Ray was 9 of 14 in each of the three games scoring 21, 25, and 24 respectively.  

  So it would appear evident that when we need Ray to do his job hes always there.  I come to my final point which may be a bit of repetition from above, but the only reason Ray is averaging 16.3 points per game is because of the great amount of scorers on this team.  I still would want the ball in Ray's hands when the game is on the line and you all should too.  Let's not forget the year before he came to the Celtics he averaged almost 28 ppg.  Oh yeah and don't forget that bulls series when he dropped the dagger in Game 2 of the playoffs over center, Joakim Noah.