Allen: ‘Sad feelings for the city’
Celtics guard Ray Allen empathized with players from the New England Patriots today following the team’s loss to the Jets Sunday night. Allen and his Celtics teammates attended Sunday’s game in Foxborough.
“It’s like a big bubble that burst because the excitement was there,” said Allen. “You have sad feelings for the city because you know how many people support what they’re trying to accomplish because we’re trying to do the same things.”
On the Patriots being favored and earning home field advantage, Allen said, “You’ve still got to win. You can’t take a day off. Football is so different because you can’t afford to play bad in one game. From watching the game I didn’t think [the Patriots] had their best performance. I clearly think that they’re a better team than the Jets.
“That’s a lesson for anybody watching sports. The best team doesn’t always win anything.”
The Patriots’ loss yesterday was difficult for players and fans alike and represented the third such letdown by a local team in the playoffs this year. The Bruins blew a 3-0 lead in a playoff series, while the Celtics got all the way to Game 7 of the NBA Finals before losing to the Lakers. Allen said the Celtics definitely had it the hardest.
“It still wasn’t the Super Bowl,” he said. “When you get all the way there, you can taste it because you can see the end. You figure you’re a couple of minutes away from hoisting the trophy and then it goes in the other direction. That’s where your emotions pour out.”
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