Ray Allen’s Still Got It

Ray Allen, you still got it, and plenty of it. I can’t find anyone else who can put a dagger like that with six seconds left in the game the way he did Saturday night in the Miami Heat‘s 119-116 victory over the Denver Nuggets. When the Heat called a full timeout, head coach Erik Spoelstra designed a play where LeBron James would have the ball. He had the option to drive in and score or pass out. As he started to move to his left, the obvious thing to think was that he would once again drive. I mean, being him, who wouldn’t? The guy is like a Coke machine with legs. He’s unstoppable. Corey Brewer, who was shadowing Allen, saw James move and as he started to drive in, Brewer came to aid his teammates, which turned out to be a big mistake. That left Allen wide open in his favorite corner. It only took a few ounces of James’ skill to dish a terrific pass to Allen, as he planted his feet, shot the three, made it and got the foul. It was easier said than done, especially making the free throw. That put the Heat up by three and that would be the end of the game. It was just another crowd going wild in a night at South Beach. “We’ve been on the other end, as the recipient of that type of pain, in the locker room when he puts a dagger in your heart with a three — and the and-one — just for the heck of it,” said Spoeltra in the press room after the game. Bosh led the Heat with 40 points while Allen had 23. James had 20 points and 11 assists. “Good teams find a way to win,” Bosh said. “We haven’t been playing our best basketball. We know we’ve gotten to a slow start defensively. We have to pick that up.” Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari attempted a three-point shot with two seconds left that bounced of the rim. He finished with 3-of-17 from the floor with an embarrassing 1-for-9 from beyond the arc. Dwyane Wade added 14 for Miami, who are now 2-1. The Nuggets fell to 0-3. Nuggets coach George Karl said the team “just needs to get a win.” “This would’ve been a great win for us. It would’ve salvaged the trip. It doesn’t feel good. It never feels good,” he said. So with the storyline set, the Heat faced it’s first last second situation. James and Allen have been teammates for only three games, yet they looked like they’ve been playing together for years. Miami struggled throughout the game. Denver was up by six halfway through the fourth. In the early going, they were leading the Heat 40-10 in points in the paint. The Nuggets frontcourt featuring Kenneth Faried and JaVale McGee were on fire that night. They combined for 13-of-16 shooting just within the first 20 minutes of the game. By halftime, the Nuggets were up by two. The 23rd and final lead change of the night was Allen’s four-point dagger. And for Wade, he’s glad that happened. “It’s good that he made it wearing red and white.” The post Ray Allen’s Still Got It appeared first on FootBasket.