Allen was laying on his back under the basket. He'd come to the gym early and often, repeating the same motions, the same routes over and over.īut even still, Spoelstra couldn't believe what he saw during that first workout in September 2012, the week before Labor Day. He was obsessive and then some about his basketball routines. People called him "Everyday Ray" for a reason. Spoelstra, of course, had heard stories about Allen. The Heat coach saw up close and personal what made the shooting guard different. The summer after the trio took down Boston and OKC en route to the 2012 title, Spoelstra and Riley met with Allen and later signed him. Three months later, LeBron James and Chris Bosh joined Dwyane Wade with the Heat. THE CELTICS WON Game 3 by two points and dispatched the Heat in five games, prompting the Heat to blow it all up and lay down a new foundation. But believe me, he'll have no legs tomorrow."Īllen torched the Heat for 25 points the next night. "But don't worry about him, Coach," the Miami instructor told Spoelstra. The instructor, a devoted Heat fan, confirmed it was Allen. Was that really Allen? Did he come in just to loosen up his joints after a long flight? A stretch to warm up the muscles? Maybe just a few minutes, right? Spoelstra needed to talk to the instructor. Spoelstra picked up his cell again, this time to dial the Four Seasons. #Echofon twitter ray allen fullMaybe it was a Ray Allen look-alike? Spoelstra dialed a Heat staffer, who confirmed that the Celtics had gone through a full practice earlier in the day and flew from Logan Airport down to Miami International Airport that evening. After the hourlong class, Spoelstra walked out the door and noticed a familiar face walking in for the next class at 7:30 p.m. spinning class at the local Four Seasons hotel. In an effort to unwind after a long flight to Miami and an even longer beatdown at the hands of Allen's Celtics, Spoelstra decided to catch his favorite 6:30 p.m. #Echofon twitter ray allen seriesRead more stories from TrueHoop's feature series It happened one Thursday night during the first round of the 2010 playoffs when the fifth-seeded Heat had just been blown out in Games 1 and 2 in Boston. SPOELSTRA REMEMBERS THE first time he met Allen. Deep down, Spoelstra felt that Allen's other-worldly work ethic and conditioning could keep the 41-year-old playing in today's NBA. Even though Allen hadn't played in two years, Spoelstra still was taken aback. "More often than not, the Oh S-! came with an Ah, s- when he hit the shot."ĭuring Tuesday's news conference in Miami, Spoelstra found out that Allen had officially retired. "You know, the ' Oh s-, how'd he get there?' or ' Oh s-, there he is!' moments. "Before doing anything else, we would just spend 20 minutes trying to prevent Ray from doing the unexpected - the O h s-," Spoelstra says now. Those ones in which Allen would somehow, even though everyone was waiting for it, catch the defense blinking for a half a second and move into a different spot as if he was teleporting. In the late 2000s, when the Heat were due to play Allen's Celtics, Spoelstra kicked off every practice preparing the Heat for Allen's "Oh s-" moments. SPOELSTRA'S ADMIRATION BEGAN before he ever met the player, with extra practice. The Miami Heat coach didn't have to be prompted to tell one Allen story after another. #Echofon twitter ray allen professionalHours after 18-year NBA professional Ray Allen announced his retirement, his former coach, Erik Spoelstra, was already nostalgic for a player he called truly one of a kind.
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