Ray Allen shoots down any ill will for Kobe Bryant

[greasybugsy]

Four years ago, when he was still playing for Seattle, Ray Allen made some postgame comments about Kobe Bryant that are likely to be resurrected as bulletin-board material when the Celtics [team stats] meet the Lakers in the upcoming NBA Finals.

In 2004, after LA traded Shaquille O’Neal to the Miami Heat, everyone had an opinion about the deal. That included Allen, who told Seattle sportswriters, “If Kobe doesn’t see he needs 2 good players to be a legitimate playoff contender or win a championship in about a year or two, he’ll be calling out to (Lakers owner) Jerry Buss that, ‘We need some help in here,’ or, ‘Trade me.’ And we’ll all be saying, ‘I told you so,’ when he says that.”

Allen added that Bryant is “going to be very selfish. And he feels like he needs to show this league and the people in this country that he is better without Shaq. He can win championships without Shaq. So offensively, he’s going to jump out and say, ‘I can average 30 points. I can still carry the load on this team.’ ”

The Celtics guard, however, was in no mood to take a stroll down Memory Lane yesterday. He said those comments are four years old now, and that the only time the topic comes up is when members of the media drop it at his feet.

“You (media) make it more than what it is, but we’re in 2008,” he said. “So it’s a nonissue now. You can talk about it, but now you’re making a big deal about it because you’re asking.

“I didn’t have to say anything more about it. At the time, when I’m playing in the Western Conference, we just finished playing them in the preseason. Obviously, it’s a team that you see regularly, you have more of a feel for them. It was that at the time.

“We’re in a different part of our careers and our lives right now. I have to take care of what’s going on with my Celtics team, and that’s all I concern myself with.”

Ask him about covering Bryant, though, and Allen will be more than happy to take you to the blackboard and tell you what you need to know.

“I know he likes to dig on the ball,” he said, “so just keep me moving off the ball and put him in pick-and-rolls, put him pin-downs, so he’s constantly moving, so he definitely has to work.

“I just think you have to keep him working on both ends. You can’t allow him to have anything easy. Any scouting report that I give or anyone gives is going to sound fairly easy, but when you’re out there you have to make sure that you keep him guessing. Don’t allow his feet to get planted in the defensive end.

“Offensively, you have to keep a swarm around him . . . but it’s important we don’t allow one part of the game to break down another part of the game.”

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/b...elt&position=3

[Da 5th Dawg]

Not like he was lying.

[gambino95]

Originally Posted by Da 5th Dawg

Not like he was lying.

Seriously, the Ray Allen predictions were spot on

[sammy_jr_21]

this is gonna be a serious series...ray and kobe had so much bad blood between them when he was ballin here, for the sonics...i remember every game between them had some sort of confrontation, fight...shot for shot this will be enteraining...

[Omaha bin Laden]

Media hype.

[greasybugsy]

Originally Posted by sammy_jr_21

this is gonna be a serious series...ray and kobe had so much bad blood between them when he was ballin here, for the sonics...i remember every game between them had some sort of confrontation, fight...shot for shot this will be enteraining...

The C's need the real Ray Allen to show up, not the guy that was missing shot after shot.... but even if is not shooting well.. He's gonna have his hands full playing D on Kobe. For there sake, I hope he plays like he can.

[KillaKuz]

Originally Posted by greasybugsy

The C's need the real Ray Allen to show up, not the guy that was missing shot after shot.... but even if is not shooting well.. He's gonna have his hands full playing D on Kobe. For there sake, I hope he plays like he can.

I think it would be better for you to hope that Ray isnt guarding Kobe. Kobe would murk that nigga.

[sammy_jr_21]

Originally Posted by greasybugsy

The C's need the real Ray Allen to show up, not the guy that was missing shot after shot.... but even if is not shooting well.. He's gonna have his hands full playing D on Kobe. For there sake, I hope he plays like he can.

true...if this series plays out like matchups in the past...i guarantee it will be the real ray and not the slumping struggling ray we have seen this year...either way though, i like ray and all, but kobe is the best in the world right now...not sure if anyone in the league can actually stop him...celtics have an uphill battle ahead of them (during the regular season they did sweep the lakers, but that was before gasol)

[swagger]

maybe they'll but pierce on him

[gambino95]

I look forward to seeing how the Celtics decide to D up the Lakers