I've argued this with a lot of people in my life. When people say God blessed me with a beautiful jump shot, it really pisses me off. I tell those people, 'Don't undermine the work I've put in every day.' Not some days. Every day. Ask anyone who has been on a team with me who shoots the most. Go back to Seattle and Milwaukee and ask them. The answer is me -- not because it's a competition, but because that's how I prepare.
Ray AllenEverything I know now . . . the pitfalls, the highs and lows, everything . . . it taught me and made stronger.
Ray AllenEveryone has to do their job. Everyone has to buy into it and believe in what we're trying to do regardless of who's playing and who's not.
Ray AllenWhether that is me retiring, staying here or going somewhere else, it will be on my terms. I've made it to this point, and I felt great that I have the choice to make it for myself.
Ray AllenI look at how we got beat and I thought the hustle points and the energy points were all gauged through offensive rebounds. I thought in the second half they got so many second-chance opportunities they could really run. It just seemed like they were going up our guys' backs. When you don't get any offensive rebounds and they start going the other team's way, it's almost like a snowball effect.
Ray AllenWhat brought me back here was my players, ... I know who Rashard (Lewis) is. I know who Nick (Collison) and Luke are, and I don't know what those other guys (on other teams) bring to the table. This is where I've made home and I didn't want anything different and I didn't need anything different.
Ray AllenI've ultimately decided that I will not play this NBA season. I'm going to take the remainder of this season, as well as the upcoming off-season, to reassess my situation, spend time with my family and determine if I will play in the 2015-16 season.
Ray AllenIt comes down to consistency-if you want to be a great shooter, you have to shoot the same way every time.
Ray AllenRight now, we're not a team. I think we're genuinely happy for each other when we're out there on the court. We've got to find new and different ways to support each other on the floor. The comfort zone that we've been in, we've got to change it a little bit. Everybody has onus on this team. It's easy for someone to say, 'I play only 10 minutes a game, so they're not talking about me.' But that 10 minutes is just as important.
Ray AllenMost teams have one All-Star, whether that guy made it this year or earlier in his career, and some teams have two All-Stars. What theyre showing is that a group of five guys that play together and play hard will always beat a team with two All-Stars and three average players.
Ray AllenI tell the young kids, you have eight or nine months of the year to play basketball and the rest of the year you can relax. So, you've got to be ready. It doesn't last forever.
Ray AllenWhen people say God blessed me with a beautiful jump shot, it really pisses me off. I tell those people, 'Don't undermine the work I've put in every day.' Not some days. Every day.
Ray AllenBy practicing the virtues we cultivate the soil from which healthy emotions sprout; by letting go of our character defects we drain the swamp in which diseased emotions breed.
Ray AllenWhen the effort is in question, the ball goes in different directions and the ball doesn't always bounce your way. When you're playing in the home of the NBA champions, it isn't going to be easy.
Ray AllenMy nature is to keep things inside. In time, I'll be comfortable stepping up when I think the team could use my input.
Ray AllenI always say if the house I live in is comfortable, and I have all the amenities I need, then what more can you ask for?
Ray AllenThere is an entire culture out there built around siphoning money from an athlete, and the young men and women who come through just feed the machine.
Ray Allen