Allen a pleasure to watch
TD BANKNORTH GARDEN — There are no hitches. Not a single wasted motion from hip to fingertip. Ray Allen shoots jump shots how they’re supposed to be shot.
One of the guilty pleasures of getting to the Garden early is watching Allen, alone on the parquet, go through his extended pregame shooting routine. Allen’s warmup takes at least 30 minutes, and it rarely changes.
He starts with stationary threes from every angle, then follows that up with catch-and-shoot threes after running in from halfcourt. Free throws are next. Allen ends the routine with a powerful drive down the lane, a two-handed dunk, and a handshake for each of his two ball boys. And then Allen, ball in hand, runs full-tilt to the locker room, as if walking was going to make him late for some terribly important event.
How sacred is the routine? Paul Pierce, who came out onto the court to warm up himself while Allen was still going, stood on the sideline and dribbled the ball in order not to disturb the veteran sharpshooter.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com