RAY Allen is a historic figure in the NBA. The 2-time NBA champion is a future Hall-of-Famer. Allen’s reputation is born of his ability to make clutch shots. Allen always seemed to make shots that came at the right moment.
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His most iconic shot came in Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals. The then-38-year-old Allen was a role player for the Miami Heat. Even with a diminished role, Allen made a crucial game-tying shot for the Heat that pushed the series to Game 7.
Allen spoke to James Posey on ‘The Posecast‘ and opened up about why the matchup against the San Antonio Spurs was interesting, and why the Heat struggled. “Well, it seemed like it was spiraling out of control.
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UNCASVILLE, CT – SEPTEMBER 08: Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2018 Inductee Ray Allen attends the SiriusXM NBA Radio Hall Of Fame Town Hall with Ray Allen, Jason Kidd and Rod Thorn at Mohegan Sun on September 8, 2018 in Uncasville, Connecticut. (Photo by David Surowiecki/Getty Images for SiriusXM)
“We were turning the ball over, weren’t executing down the stretch. Just a couple of things fell into our favor with some of the Spurs missing free throws. We had been in situations where we had been down a lot.”
For the Heat, having the ‘Big-Three’ of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh was a major advantage. Adding a dangerous shooter like Ray Allen only made things more challenging for the Spurs.
”The one thing we knew was, nobody wanted to leave LeBron, but at the same time nobody wanted to leave me either. And then you got D-Wade who was out there slashing to the rim.”
Ray Allen talks about *that* shot
Allen explained how he would use LeBron’s presence on the court to help the team get a valuable bucket. He said, “Sometimes I would set the screen, sometimes I would split the screen when I would engage LeBron on the pick-and-roll.
“Because I had a smaller guy on me. If they switched, that was the wrong thing to do. If they didn’t switch, and he tried to stay with him, then I’d set a screen and then that guy was behind LeBron.”
Allen declared that he had a penchant for creating space for himself to make his infamous clutch shots. But he also mentioned that it did come down to luck.
“For me, it was just, I had to figure out a way to just keep moving. That was my whole goal and how I kept playing….Once the ball went up, get back to your spot.
“Because I knew it was a three-pointer….It’s unfortunate to be able to say this, but every-time I look at that shot on highlights, it goes in every time. Because it could’ve been the total opposite.”
Ray Allen’s shot from Game 6 of the NBA Finals is considered to be one of the greatest plays in NBA history. It allowed the Heat to come back in Game 7 and win an NBA Championship.