HoopsHype.com Rumors

Ben Rohrbach: Spoelstra & LeBron both called the Celtics a "class" organization for paying video tribute to Allen. Twitter @brohrbach

Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, Ray Allen 

Allen told close allies that he felt he ran fourth on Doc Rivers’ list of favorites, after Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo. New York Daily News

Boston Celtics, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Doc Rivers, Rajon Rondo, Kevin Garnett 

Sunday will mark Allen's initial return to Boston. Celtics coach Doc Rivers is hoping fans will prefer to dwell on what Allen was able to accomplish while in green. "He made a business decision," Rivers said. "But he helped us win a championship. I hope he gets a good round of applause when he's here. He did a lot for this franchise." FOXSports Florida

Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, Ray Allen, Doc Rivers 

Chris Tomasson: Doc Rivers disappointed Allen left Boston & now roots against him but hasn’t changed his view of Allen as person. “I wasn’t happy when he left,’’ Rivers told FOX Sports Florida. “I don’t think that he should have left. I thought he should have stayed here. But I’m bias to the Celtics. “But that doesn’t change that I know he’s a great guy. I have a relationship with him as a person and that doesn’t change. Now, I openly cheer for him to lose (with the Heat), but I know what kind of guy he is.’’ Sulia

Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, Ray Allen, Doc Rivers 

Celtics coach Doc Rivers hopes Ray Allen gets big round of applause when returns to Boston on Sunday for 1st time. “He made a business decision,’’ Rivers told FOX Sports Florida about Allen leaving for the Miami Heat. “But he helped us win a championship. I hope he gets a good round of applause when he’s here. He did a lot for this franchise.’’ Sulia

Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, Ray Allen, Doc Rivers 

Even at the tender age of 37, Allen remains unequivocally one of the elite shooter in the game. Just check his 3-point shooting percentage this season: It’s .432 — the seventh-best in the league. Yet, while it appears Allen still has more than fumes in his tank, the Miami Heat reserve guard acknowledges he may be closer to his career finish line than people think. “I don’t know when I’ll retire,” said Allen, who began his pro career in Milwaukee in 1996 and spent six-plus productive seasons with the Bucks before being dealt to Seattle. “I’d like to get through the year first. I feel great; my body feels good. I just got to get through. “I’m at a point where I’ve been pretty successful and I’ve gotten to the point where I really understand the game and how to play it. “But I’m not going to be that guy who just hangs on. At some point, I can let it go.” Racine Journal-Times

Miami Heat, Ray Allen 

But Allen said that’s hardly a slam dunk he’ll play beyond this season, that this could indeed be his farewell season. “It’s possible, yeah,” Allen said. “Who knows what’s going to happen over the course of the summer? I have two years left on my contract. We’ll see how it goes.” Racine Journal-Times

Miami Heat, Ray Allen 

Shams Charania: #Heat's Ray Allen says he didn't hear from the #Bucks in the offseason and "can't say" he would've considered coming back. Twitter @ShamsCharania

Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Free Agency, Ray Allen 

The Celtics attempted to acquire Mayo for Ray Allen before the trade deadline last February, and talked with his representatives again over the summer. The Celtics eventually acquired Courtney Lee in a sign-and-trade, signing him to a four-year deal. “There was definitely interest in talking to them,” Mayo said before the game. “See what we could work out. But I don’t think we moved as fast as they liked. They made some other signing, so it’s all good.” Boston Globe

Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, Miami Heat, Ray Allen, Trade, OJ Mayo 

Now, Miami is trying to carry it out for a full season. And the Heat's major offseason acquisitions, Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis, aren't going to be much help defending the paint; they're having enough trouble getting out to open 3-point shooters. Which leaves Battier swapping paint with bigger, younger power forwards. Will he be a skid mark by next spring?"We'll see. We'll see," Battier said with a laugh. "The thing about it is, it's taxing physically. But I just have to be smart about it. I'm not asked to grab 10 rebounds. I just block out. Blocking out's tough when you have to block out a guy like Faried. But I look at it as an unbelievable challenge for me. I've been counted out a lot in my life, and in my career. And I've always met the challenge. I just look at it as a new challenge, a new chapter for my book. I look forward to overcoming it." NBA.com

Miami Heat, Ray Allen, Rashard Lewis 

As Allen puts it, compared to where he played the last few seasons in Boston, Miami's defense has more moving parts. Kevin Garnett wasn't blitzing 1-4 pick-and-rolls very often. "In Boston, more you just rely more on the bigs to be in certain positions," he said. "We try to keep those bigs right there. But the guards, everybody has the responsibility to crack back on the big in rebounding, or get into the paint. So it's more of a moving defense than we were in Boston." NBA.com

Miami Heat, Ray Allen 

Dan Woike: I asked Blake Griffin if he thought Ray Allen would sign w/ the #Clippers this past offssn: "Honestly, no." Knew team was focused on Jamal Twitter @DanWoikeSports

Los Angeles Clippers, Free Agency, Ray Allen, Blake Griffin, Jamal Crawford 

Joseph Goodman: Wade just beat Ray Allen in a three-point contest. Ray is mad, mad, mad. #talknboutpractice Twitter @MiamiHeraldHeat

Miami Heat, Ray Allen, Dwyane Wade 

"Mike paved the way for all of us to open up the endorsement door," Ray Allen said. "But the one thing that Mike never was is political. I think in today's era, the NBA player has an even greater podium if he chooses to use it. And with Barack Obama being the first black President, it's a great forum. I think that would separate him from anybody who's done this." CBSSports.com

Charlotte Bobcats, Miami Heat, Ray Allen, LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Barack Obama 

In other words, Jordan may have won six championships, but he was oh-for-scoring-political-points during his Hall of Fame career. Jordan -- as the often-related story goes -- chose commerce over politics in 1990 when he refused to endorse Democrat Harvey Gantt, a black U.S. Senate candidate in his home state of North Carolina. "Republicans buy shoes, too," Jordan famously explained. And that was Allen's point: Whereas Jordan avoided politics for fear of alienating potential customers, James could really separate himself by embracing his role as someone who could not only generate opinions but influence them. "It's great to be a basketball player, but to transcend sports is a big responsibility," Allen said. "If he were able to pull that off -- if he wants to pull that off -- I think that would set him apart." CBSSports.com

Charlotte Bobcats, Miami Heat, Ray Allen, LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Barack Obama 

According to a donor list aggregated by HoopsHype.com, five current NBA players -- Anthony, Hill, Carter, Nolan Smith and free-agent Baron Davis -- donated to Obama's campaign. Jordan was an exception among NBA ownership types who donated to the President's successful re-election bid, putting up $5,000. Even though commissioner David Stern recently poked fun at Obama's basketball skills -- "He’s not that good," said Stern, the noted Democrat who himself donated $5,000 to Obama -- the obstacles that kept Jordan from voicing political opinions during his playing career appear to have been lifted. But the golden rule of sports is to follow the money, and if you do that when it comes to NBA political donations, the league appears just as divided as the country is. CBSSports.com

Charlotte Bobcats, Miami Heat, Ray Allen, LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Barack Obama 

Danny Ainge on whether he has spoken to Ray Allen since Allen has left Boston: “I’ve tried to reach out to Ray. (Host: What’s been the reaction?) Ray doesn’t have the same number and I didn’t even realize that until recently but he hadn’t responded and I just thought he wasn’t responding.” Sports Radio Interviews

Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, Ray Allen, Danny Ainge 

He also starred in a Spike Lee movie not long after leaving UConn. So when another milestone comes, Allen takes it in stride. “You never go into and say, ‘This is something I want to accomplish,’ ’’ Allen said before Monday night’s Heat game in which he scored 15 points to eclipse the 23,000 mark. “The big thing for me is being healthy. That means you can play longer. Then you look at the things you have accrued on the court, the friends and family you make off the court. You just want to be available to play — and then you end up with a nice career.’’ Allen needed 12 points to hit 23,000. When told that before the game, Allen smiled. “That’s all I got?’’ he said. “Guess I need to work a little harder.’’ Miami Herald

Miami Heat, Ray Allen 

Ethan J. Skolnick: George Karl on Allen: "He's done that on every team he's been on, and he doesn't need a lot of room to shoot it." Twitter @EthanJSkolnick

Denver Nuggets, Miami Heat, Ray Allen, George Karl 

Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis are different. They’ve built a friendship that is stronger than the obstacles they’ve experienced dealing with the business of basketball. They’re like brothers who respect each other on the court and appreciate each other when the game ends. They’ve relied on their bond to help with the transition to Miami, while enjoying another chance to play together in the twilight of their careers. “I was sitting at my home in Connecticut when I found out; I was excited,” Allen said. “I randomly called him and he told me he was coming down and looking forward to being able to join. “I was very excited. He’s a guy that’s made a great career for himself. The teams we played for in Seattle, we had some great times. Over four years, we only made it to the playoffs one time, but he had some great teams. We had fun together and respected each other and that’s something I’ve always appreciated and cherished.” RealGM

Miami Heat, Ray Allen, Rashard Lewis