In his five seasons with the Boston Celtics, Ray Allen established himself as one of the legends of the franchise. During that same time, in the early 2010s, the Celtics developed an intense rivalry with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade’s Miami Heat. The two teams would face each other in the Playoffs, with Ray Allen being an integral part of the Celtics roster in such games. However, many players and fans, including Paul Pierce, felt that Allen leaving for the Heat in 2012 was like a ‘stab in the back.’
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Ray Allen had helped the Celts win an NBA title in 2008 and had driven the team to another Finals run in 2010. However, in that series, the Celts lost 4-3 to Kobe Bryant and the Lakers. Undoubtedly, given Ray Allen’s accomplishments for the franchise, his departure to a rival franchise might have been hard for the fans and the players alike.
Ray Allen’s move to Miami Heat made Paul Pierce furious
Nobody had expected Ray Allen to be leaving for the Miami Heat. The Boston Celtics and the Heat have often faced off in the Eastern Conference Playoffs. Thus, franchise legends Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce were furious with Allen’s decision. However, joining LeBron James and Dwyane Wade at Miami Heat helped Allen win his second championship ring in 2013.
Ray Allen joined Miami in 2012 on a 2-year, $6,319,050 worth deal. The Celtics initially offered Allen a $12,000,000, 2-year deal, in exchange for Allen’s ask for a three-year, $24 million contract. However, he chose Heat because of his dispute with the Celtics over a bench role and a Rondo-focused approach. Paul Pierce was particularly bitter about this move, and he expressed his thoughts about this in an appearance at The Breakfast Club morning show. In a clip posted by Qwyiet Genius, Allen appeared saying:
“At the time, we was rivals with the Heat. We was rivals with LeBron. You know, it was like, you know, they just beat us in the Playoff. Like now, you go join them? Like we in a rivalry, in the midst of a rivalry. where we can possibly if we come back, we’ll see them again next year. And then, for the join, it’s just like we felt that , we felt a certain kind of way. You know, when you with your brother, who you consider a friend, and you go a whole other direction, that’s like opposite of what we doing. It’s like, you feel like that, it’s like a stab in the back.”
The stakes were high with Allen joining the Heat. In the 2012 Eastern Conference semi-finals, the Heat defeated the Celtics 4-3 in the series, shattering their hopes for a successful title run. Ray Allen joined the same rivals the very next season, sparking immense tensions among the Celtics fanbase and the top players. However, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce seem to have squashed their decade-long beef with Allen to reconcile in 2022.
Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett eventually ended beef with Ray Allen
Ray Allen’s Miami Heat move marked bitter relations and a long-withstanding beef with his former teammates Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. However, in 2022, Garnett and Pierce seem to have forgiven Allen for his actions. Kobe Bryant’s unfortunate demise in 2020 played a huge role in Garnett’s change of attitude toward Allen. As reported by Yardbreaker, Garnett said:
“The passing of Kobe and all of us getting older helped me understand that life is given to none of us. It would have f***ed with me if something would have happened to Ray, and I didn’t get a chance to amend this.”
Perhaps, Kevin Garnett did not want a similar haunting that Shaq now has about Kobe. Both Garnett and Paul Pierce are on speaking terms with each other. The former players tend to live a peaceful post-retirement life, reminiscing their outstanding achievements together.
