Ray Allen likely to return in the game agaisnt the San Antonio Spurs - NBA Update
The Boston Celtics today announced that veteran player Ray Allen has recovered from his ankle injury and will be available for play tonight when the Celts host the San Antonio Spurs at the TD Garden.
Ray Allen, who plays at shooting guard position for the Celtics, missed the last six games with an injury to his right ankle, but has now fully recovered and is game-ready.
It felt good to be on the floor,’’ said Allen. “My legs felt great today. I had a shot in the ankle on game-day the other day, and I had all day to kind of let it maneuver through my body. Coming in today, I walked in today and
felt like I had two new wheels".
Ray Allen is in his 16th professional season in the NBA and is argued to be one of the greatest 3 point shooters in NBA history. This season, he is averaging 14.6 points, 2.5 assists and 1 steal per game. He has a 3-point
field goal percentage of 45.9% for the season in 34.2 minutes per game.
Allen is a critical component of the Celtic roster owing to his vast experience at the guard position. His ability to make plays and open up the defense in fear of his 3-point play makes him a very dangerous offensive option for
any coach and abilities will be crucial for the Boston Celtics, particularly in the playoffs, of which he has extensive experience.
With Allen back, coach Doc Rivers needs to make a decision as to whom to start between Ray Allen and Avery Bradley.
Bradley took over the position of Allen over the previous 6 games and seemed to have an instant chemistry with Rajon Rondo. Doc said that he had given thought to the option of starting with Bradley and bringing Allen off the bench,
but decided against it.
Now he will use Bradley during the course of the match so that he can have the Rondo-Bradley backcourt combination at different instances in the game.
The Celtics start a grueling 15 day schedule tonight is which they will play 11 games, many of them back to back. The lockout at the beginning of this season led to the season being condensed as a result of which team fixtures
have been tough throughout the year.
“I don’t know how their bodies are going to react to it. If we think we see something there we’ll change the lineup just to get different guys more rest or we’ll sit a guy here and there. I wish there was a formula for this’’ said
coach Rivers referring to the tough schedule that lies ahead.
Meanwhile, Mickael Pietrus returned to practice today and is improving, according to team officials. He has been out of the team since suffering a Grade 3 concussion on March 23.
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