|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
NBA FINALS: SPURS v HEATJune 18, 2013Ray AllenMIAMI, FLORIDA: Game Six San Antonio Spurs - 100 Q. Ray, can you take us through that last play, you setting up behind the three‑point line, kind of what you saw after Chris got the rebound? RAY ALLEN: Well, LeBron took the shot, and I knew we had time, I had to go‑‑ I went into the paint to try to get the ball and make something happen. At that point there's no guarantee who is going to get the ball or what may happen. And when I seen CB get the ball, I just backpedaled right to the three‑point line, and I was hoping I was where I needed to be. But I wasn't quite sure. But just from years of shooting, I got to my spot. Q. Ray, how much did your rhythm at the end of Game 5 sort of help you tonight? And also sort of talk about, this series has been so much about Danny Green's three‑point shooting, and you come back a game after he breaks your record, and hits a pretty big one. RAY ALLEN: Well, it's been a very unusual series. There hasn't really been great momentum from one game to the next for any team. For us shooting‑wise, between myself and Mike, we've been in great rhythm shooting the ball, getting into our positions, trying to take the load off of LeBron and D‑Wade. But now we're in a situation where we have to make any play, whatever play necessary offensively and defensively is where we have to hang our hats right now. Because they're an executing team, the best executing team that we've seen thus far. So defensively is where we have to hang our hats right now to win Game 7. Q. Ray, Chris Bosh said you saved the season. What's the best words for you to describe the magnitude of your shot? RAY ALLEN: It's going to be a shot that I'm going to remember for a long time. There's a lot of shots that I've made in my career, but this will go high up in the ranks because of the situation. Just the way that whole last minute and a half unfolded, it wasn't looking good for us. But we've been resilient all year. We've been down in situations, we've come back and won games. We never give up. Just being able to be in that situation where the ball bounced in our direction. You know, we've been a part of many plays where the ball has a funky bounce to it. And I've known my whole career sometimes you just get lucky. When you win championships, it involves a little luck. That right there was luck shining on our side. Q. You got a lot of grief in Boston for deciding to come here. Is this kind of like redemption almost, a last laugh in a sense? RAY ALLEN: Well, my focus has been here to help this team win. When I parted ways with Boston, it was‑‑ they went in their direction and obviously I went in mine. The minute I got here, this team made me feel welcome. I didn't win last year with this team, but they made me feel a part of it. So the redemption has been winning 66 games this year, and having the best record in the NBA, making it to the playoffs and getting to this point, and being with a great group of guys. I have had a great year off the floor with them. As a team we've all bonded. Camaraderie is awesome. We put ourselves in the situation we're in. And good or bad, we're all going to fight to try to make it to the top. Q. Two questions: When you caught that pass from Chris, LeBron was at the top of the key screaming. Did you ever consider kicking it out? RAY ALLEN: No. Q. I had to ask. Even for someone whose work ethic is as historic as yours is, to backtrack, get your hands set, get your feet set, take that pass and then have the momentum going forward to shoot, how tough is that even for you to do all that in the span of maybe about half a second? RAY ALLEN: It's tough, but believe it or not, I work on it quite often. I try to put my body in precarious situations coming from different parts of the floor, different angles to try to get my momentum going moving forward. I honestly can say I gave myself a great opportunity, a great chance to make that shot. And it wasn't unfamiliar to me positionally. When it went in, I was ecstatic. But at the same time I was expecting to make it. Q. Ray, we've talked a lot over the years about your process in that kind of a situation. You don't aim on that kind of shot. Can you take us through your sort of mental checklist as that play is unfolding on a broken play like that. RAY ALLEN: Whether CB threw me the ball or not, I had to get myself in a position where I was ready. Once the ball came off the rim, I just knew get to the three‑point line.  We need a three. Two points isn't going to cut it. So my mental checklist is really to have my legs ready and underneath me, so when the ball comes, if it comes, I was ready to go in the air. So that's pretty much‑‑ once I get my legs there, I let the ball go. I'm going to give myself the best chance to make it. Q. Ray, there was a point there late in the third and in the fourth where LeBron just seemed to turn it up a notch. How evident is that when you guys are on the floor with him? And what does it do for you guys in terms of just bringing energy into everything, including the defense and the offensive end? RAY ALLEN: Well, everything we do starts with him. If he has great energy, if he has bad energy, we feel it, the rest of the team. So one thing I always try to make sure I do with him is to make sure he understands how his aura, his energy has an effect on the rest of the team. And we always need it to be great energy. He has a great motor out on the floor, the way he starts games, the way he closes out quarters, defensively the way he plays. With that we follow suit. So it's a terrible burden, but for one guy, he has to make sure that he always keeps the energy and that positivity flowing in the right direction, because we do all follow suit. Q. Ray, you mentioned this is a shot you will remember for a long time. Would you be all right if this was the defining shot of your career? RAY ALLEN: I don't think that's up to me to decide. Anybody who will talk about me when I'm away from this game is going to talk about my impact on the game. They'll talk about plays that I've made, shots I've made, games I've won. That will be up to the particular individual. But I think it depends who you talk to. Q. Ray, you talk about the terrible burden that LeBron is under. Everybody watching everything he does at every moment. When he switches into that gear where he can take over a game the way he did tonight, what is that like? What's that sensation like to be on the floor with him on his side instead of against him? RAY ALLEN: He just plays with great force. So many times he's attacking the basket. I told him one time, when you attack so hard, I think you put the referees in a bad situation, because they don't know whether you're creating the force or somebody else is fouling you. So when you see that momentum going, you just see everybody feed into what he's doing, and we just take off and run, because he's impossible to get in front of. He's impossible to stop. And he's so athletic. For us we just have to follow suit and make sure we do our jobs. Q. Ray, you were a part of the last Game 7 in the NBA Finals. How tough is it for teams to win on the road? Nobody has won on the road in The Finals in Game 7 since 1978. And how great does it feel to be on the home side now? RAY ALLEN: Definitely feels incredible. The last Game 7 I was a part of, you know, you felt there was just a thickness in the air where everything seemed like it was against you. We even had a lead coming into the fourth quarter, and we just ran out of gas. That's where when you play in front of your home building, it gives you so much momentum. That's what happened tonight, playing in front of our fans. They gave us that momentum and that energy coming down in the fourth quarter. And we're going to look to feed off that same energy in Game 7. We have to have a great start. We have to end our quarters well and definitely come with that mindset. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|