The Boston Celtics managed to return to the top of the mountain in the NBA when they won the 2024 NBA Finals. Prior to that, the C’s hadn’t won a title since 2008, when their big three of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen led them to victory.
After getting paired up ahead of the 2007-08 season, the Celtics took the league by storm. All three of these guys were All-Stars, and with a deep supporting cast, they cruised through the playoffs, eventually defeating the Los Angeles Lakers in six games in the 2008 NBA Finals.
Of this trio, Allen was the first to leave, as he bolted for the Miami Heat in the 2012 offseason, which did not make Pierce and Garnett happy. The trio eventually reconciled, but it’s fair to wonder if they would have had one more run in them if Allen had stuck around.
Regardless, Allen’s place in Celtics history, and the NBA’s history as a whole, was already set in stone. Over the course of his 18-year career, Allen helped revolutionize the league with his lights-out three-point shooting, which has become a staple of the modern game.
While Allen is most well-known for his partnership with Pierce and Garnett in Boston, he also spent time with the Milwaukee Bucks, Seattle Supersonics, and the Heat. It’s safe to say Allen has repped quite a few different jerseys, and he recently showed off his epic collection in his latest Instagram post.
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Allen was a 10-time All-Star throughout his career, while also earning a pair of All-NBA selections. He won a pair of titles, and by the time he decided to retire, there was no doubt that a spot in the Basketball Hall of Fame was being saved for him.
While his tenure with the Celtics may not have ended in the way fans were hoping it would, without Allen, the 2008 championship doesn’t happen. Now, Boston’s front office is retooling its roster in an effort to reemerge as a championship contender in the near future.
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