LOS ANGELES — For 12 seasons, Ray Allen was often the best player on his team. But when he joined Boston, the argument was made that he was the “third” of the “Big Three,” featuring Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce.
But Allen has adapted to the Celtics’ system, and there he was in Thursday’s Game 4, making the clinching play, a whisk past Sasha Vujacic for a late layup.
“Kevin you can put in any system, he’s just such a versatile player,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said Friday. “And Paul had basically been in a system. So Ray was a guy that really had to sacrifice the most. I think really he’s learned a lot through this year.
“He had been a player at times that, in Seattle especially, when the ball touched his hands, it basically stopped and he got to decide from that point on what happened. You know, it’s just not how we’ve ever played or I’ve ever coached, and I just thought the ball movement is the key to winning.
“You know, to his credit, he’s done it. He’s struggled with it at times, but he’s done it.”
Close out.
Though Boston is up 3-1 in the series, with Game 5 on Sunday, the Celtics are still more beleaguered than the Lakers.
“Well, we’re not in great physical shape, there’s no doubt about that,” Rivers said. “You know, but that’s what it is, and there’s nothing you can do about that. I think our guys are mostly gamers. The fact that Rajon (Rondo, ankle) tried to go last night, again, was phenomenal. Perk, obviously the (shoulder) injury he had last night could be significant, and we don’t know the results yet. But that’s clearly not looking great right now.
Paul tweaked his ankle and his knee again, so it’s amazing going through this. That’s part of it. It’s a lot of physical and mental things that you have to go through, and we’re going through it.”
Focused Lakers?
After losing a game the led by 24 points, the Lakers were depressed in Thursday’s postgame. Kobe Bryant joked they would drink “a lot of wine, a lot of beer, a couple shots, maybe like 20,” to get over the historic defeat.
On Friday, coach Phil Jackson reported that “I think (the Lakers) looked clear-eyed today for the most part.”
Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294 or bhochman@denverpost.com
