Latest news with #RayAllen
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ray Allen reveals why superstars didn't get along with George Karl: "He always found a way to bring team business into the media"
Ray Allen reveals why superstars didn't get along with George Karl: "He always found a way to bring team business into the media" originally appeared on Basketball Network. For all the brilliance George Karl brought to the sidelines — 1,175 career wins, playoff battles that stretched across four different decades and a pace-and-space ideology that came before its time — his name has often circled controversy. His coaching philosophy wasn't really the problem, but because of how he communicated. Or rather, how many of his former stars claim he didn't. The NBA is filled with stories of combustible relationships between players and coaches. Some ignite dynasties; others burn quietly for years before erupting. In Karl's case, the pattern has been almost rhythmic: a run with a supremely talented team, an eventual playoff disappointment and then, later, headlines filled with unfiltered criticism. "George has always taken shots at me through the media or writing books," former NBA star Ray Allen said, "and it's just the strangest thing, because I always thought we had a good relationship as a player-coach. But he always found a way to bring team business into the media. Talk about what is happening in practice, talk about me." Allen's years with the Milwaukee Bucks from 1996–2003 helped shape him into one of the best two-guards the league had ever seen. By the 2000–01 season, he was averaging 22 points per game, leading the Bucks to a 52-win season and an Eastern Conference finals run that ended in seven hard-fought games against Allen Iverson's Philadelphia 76ers. Coach Karl was on the sidelines then, the architect of a run-and-gun squad that included Glenn "Big Dog" Robinson and Sam Cassell, all orbiting around Allen's smooth shooting and veteran poise. The chemistry on the court didn't always mirror the atmosphere off it. While the Bucks played with flair and cohesion, the behind-the-scenes relationship between player and coach appeared to fracture in ways subtle and strange. Karl's style was never shy. He often wielded the media as an extension of his message, an indirect channel to motivate or critique. For veterans like Allen, who preferred professionalism and discretion, the public commentary chipped away at trust. This wasn't isolated to Milwaukee. Karl's stint in the Seattle SuperSonics, coaching the high-flying team of the '90s, ended similarly. Despite leading the Sonics to a Finals appearance in 1996 and multiple 60-win seasons, the fallout with stars like Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton was headline fodder. He would later detail those relationships, often critically, in his 2017 memoir "Furious George," a book that rekindled old tensions and offered little Allen, his recollection points to a deeper disconnect, one not just of disagreement, but of miscommunication entirely. To hear him tell it, the tension wasn't born of clashes in the locker room or shouting matches in practice. It was the silence. The absence of a conversation that should've happened, replaced instead by headlines and hearsay. "I didn't think anything was wrong until I would talk to the media and they would say that he had a beef with me," Ray said. "And I didn't know any better then, I didn't know what he was pissed off about." And that silence became loud. Allen was traded in 2003 in a deal that sent him to Seattle, a move that shocked many. He would go on to average 24 points per game in his first full season there, earning four more NBA All-Star nods, winning an Olympic gold medal and eventually collecting two NBA titles with the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat. Karl, meanwhile, continued coaching the Denver Nuggets and later the Sacramento Kings. He led the Nuggets to a 57-win season in 2013, which earned him Coach of the Year honors, only to be dismissed that same offseason. By then, the story felt familiar: regular-season success, playoff disappointment and player-coach friction just beneath the surface. Other former players, from DeMarcus Cousins to Carmelo Anthony, echoed versions of Allen's experience. Criticism, delivered not face-to-face but through press conferences or interviews, had become Karl's signature postscript. For some, like Allen, the fallout never erupted into a public feud, but the distance story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 22, 2025, where it first appeared.
NBC Sports
10-06-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Allen: Look out if Giannis ends up with Knicks
Basketball Hall of Famer Ray Allen joins the Dan Patrick Show to discuss potential trade suitors for Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron's go-to move, where this Oklahoma City Thunder team ranks all-time and more.
USA Today
09-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Boston Celtics jersey history No. 20 - Ray Allen (2007-12)
Boston Celtics jersey history No. 20 - Ray Allen (2007-12) The Boston Celtics have had players suiting up in a total of 68 different jersey numbers (and have three others not part of any numerical series) since their founding at the dawn of the Basketball Association of America (BAA -- the league that would become today's NBA), worn by well over 500 players in the course of Celtics history. To commemorate the players who wore those numbers, Celtics Wire is covering the entire history of jersey numbers and the players who sported them since the founding of the team. With 25 of those jerseys now retired to honor some of the greatest Celtics to wear those jerseys, there is a lot of history to cover. And for today's article, we will continue with the 27th of 31 people to wear the No. 20 jersey, Hall of Fame Boston guard alum Ray Allen. After ending his college career at UConn, Allen was picked up with the fifth overall selection of the 1996 NBA draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Merced, California native would play parts of the first seven seasons of his pro career with the Milwaukee Bucks in a draft night trade. He would also play for the Seattle SuperSonics before they dealt him to Boston in 2007. His stay with the team would span five seasons, ending when he signed with the Miami Heat. During his time suiting up for the Celtics, Allen wore only jersey No. 20 and put up 16.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game, winning a title in 2008. All stats and data courtesy of Basketball Reference.
NBC Sports
11-05-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scores 25 points and leads Thunder past Denver 92-87 to tie series 2-2
Ray Allen joins Dan Patrick to break down the biggest storylines from NBA playoffs, including Tyrese Haliburton's game-winning shot vs. the Cavaliers and the Celtics' offensive approach vs. the Knicks. DENVER — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 25 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder finally outplayed Denver in crunch time, beating the Nuggets 92-87 on Sunday to knot their second-round series at two games apiece. The Thunder trailed 69-63 after three quarters and fell behind by eight when Peyton Watson started the fourth quarter by swishing a hook shot. But Oklahoma City used an 11-0 run fueled by reserves Cason Wallace, who had a pair of 3-pointers, and Aaron Wiggins, who added another, to take control. Wallace's second 3-pointer put Oklahoma City ahead for good at 75-73. The Nuggets had outlasted the youngest team in the NBA with wins in Games 1 and 3, crediting their playoff experience and championship pedigree. And they looked poised to put the top-seeded team in the West on the cusp of elimination when Aaron Gordon's turnaround jumper made it 73-66. This time, however, it was the Thunder who came up big down the stretch and the Nuggets who fumbled away the chance to put OKC in a 3-1 hole. Game 5 is Tuesday night back in Oklahoma City, where the Thunder had a 43-point blowout of the Nuggets in Game 2. Nikola Jokic led Denver with 27 points and 13 rebounds. Christian Braun and Jamal Murray each had 17 points and Gordon scored 15. Michael Porter Jr. scored just three points after scoring 15 Friday night. Wiggins and Wallace each added 11 points and Alex Caruso and Jalen Williams each scored 10. Williams was 2 for 13 from the floor after scoring 32 in Game 3. The teams played a physical, overtime game Friday night, not leaving Ball Arena until the early morning hours on Saturday. And the early Mother's Day start - 1:30 p.m. local time - led to some tired legs and a ton of errant shots. Both teams went 3 for 22 from deep in the first half and they slumbered through a combined 25-point first quarter, which tied an NBA playoff record for fewest points in the opening quarter. Oklahoma City was ahead 42-36 at the half.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ray Allen talks about the issue of shooting too many 3-pointers, using the Boston Celtics as an example: "They gotta figure getting some easy buckets"
The entire NBA world was collectively shaking its head when the Boston Celtics missed 45 three-pointers on 60 attempts en route to losing Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the New York Knicks. The over-reliance on the three-ball is apparent, which does not sit well with former C's legend Ray Allen. Allen, who won the NBA three-point shootout in 2001, feels the defending champs are not doing themselves any favors playing the way they did. Of course, he wasn't against the three-pointer, but Boston sometimes had to get their head down first and find their offensive rhythm inside the arc. Advertisement 'I think last night, the Celtics were shooting 60 threes, and they were shooting them at points when the Knicks kept on plugging away,' the two-time NBA champion said on The Dan Patrick Show. 'They were getting tougher buckets, the Knick were, and Brunson was getting so many midrange shots, so he had a great offensive rhythm. I don't think the Celtics ever built their rhythm offensively.' Building offensive rhythm Interestingly, Ray used the word 'built' when referring to Boston's offensive rhythm in Game 1. They were up by as many as 20 in the early part of the third period after finishing the half with a 61-45 lead, thanks to seven made threes in the quarter. However, New York chipped away at the advantage and tied the game at 86 apiece with over seven minutes left in the game. For Allen, the solution would have been basic, fundamental basketball. The Celtics need to understand this process. Threes are nice if they are falling, but if they don't, there is a need to catch the offensive rhythm by driving to the basket, the midrange, or the foul line. Advertisement 'They take a lot of threes early, and they take it throughout the game. And when they're going, because you got multiple guys who shoot threes and shoot it well, but if you never build a rhythmーgetting to the basket, getting to the free throw line, to the midrange gameー that's kinda where there was a hole for the Celtics of the night,' said the UConn product. They got to figure out getting easy buckets as opposed to kind of letting it fly consistently because it's the playoffs,' added Ray-Ray. As 'Jesus Shuttlesworth' noted, Boston relied too much on threes when the going was too tough. Of their 21 field goal attempts, 15 were from the rainbow territory; unfortunately, they made only two. The game changes in the playoffs Allen doesn't think the Celtics should suddenly become a low-post team. After all, the three-ball was the primary reason why they won over 60 games this year. However, he feels a different approach would benefit Boston, especially in the playoffs. Advertisement 'You have to take into account that the game slows down a little bit more in the playoffs… You look at the Knicks defense, there's a lot of holes in their defense… Just make sure that when they start the game tonight, they get to the free throw line early and establish something in the paint interms of driving and getting some easy stuff,' stated Allen. Back in his playing days, Ray said he looked for easy buckets to ease in rather than force threes right away. He knew early misses from distance could mess with his timing and pull him out of sync with the offense. The Celtics might learn a thing or two from what Allen said. This series is still theirs to lose, but they need to make smarter reads in the flow of the game—mixing in drives, midrange looks, and free throws to steady the ship when the three isn't falling. Related: "It's the Achilles heel of when Celtics do lose" - Gilbert Arenas says Celtics' reliance with 3s might cost them in the playoffs
