In 2012, Ray Allen signed with the Miami Heat and played a key role in them winning an NBA title in 2013.
After the Miami Heat lost to the Dallas Mavericks in the 2011 NBA Finals, the once-thought-to-be-invincible Heat knew that they would need to add some help to their star-studded cast, and made the smart move in free agency to sign Ray Allen, who had lost to Miami in the playoffs as a member of the Boston Celtics.
Allen would spend his final two NBA seasons with the Heat, winning a title over the San Antonio Spurs in 2013 with an iconic shot in Game 6 to help seal the deal.
While Allen spent more time in Milwaukee, Seattle, and Boston than he did in Miami, he cemented himself as a legend in South Beach, although his arrival did not come without any hiccups.
Boston gifted Allen to the Heat
While Allen was a key member to the Celtics’ title run in 2008, he and teammate Rajon Rondo butted heads so much that Allen never really felt at home in Boston. However, in the name of winning, the two were largely able to put their differences aside.
It wasn’t until Boston disrespected Allen by offering him less money in free agency that he really did consider signing elsewhere, and the Heat gave him a chance to compete and win a second NBA Finals.
“They [Boston] messed up on his contract…he was like, ‘Nah, I can’t do that,’” revealed Mario Chalmers about why Allen decided to sign with the Heat. “
For me, that’s perfect. I got another shooter, another Hall of Famer. This ain’t nothing but an add to our team.
“I already know I get four shots a game, now I get three, but I’m giving them up to Jesus [Shuttlesworth]. I’m with it, come on, let’s go.”
It might have seemed that Chalmers and the rest of Miami’s role players wouldn’t have been too happy about losing some minutes, but for a shot to finally win a title, it was an easy choice to make.
Allen is a Heat legend
Despite spending two of his lowest-scoring seasons with the Heat, Allen’s contributions as the best fourth option the league has ever seen cannot go unmentioned. Even without his Game 6 shot to beat the San Antonio Spurs in 2013, he was still an integral part of two teams that made the Finals in Miami and one that got the job done.
Much like Kevin Durant leaving the Oklahoma City Thunder for the easy road in 2016, Allen lost to the team he would eventually join in the Conference Finals, although unlike Durant, he was past his prime and would have been unable to lead a team to the Finals himself.
When he returned to Boston, fans jeered at him a little, but as the Celtics moved on from that era, fans mostly let their grudges die as well, and while his jersey isn’t retired, he is best-known for his winning stint in Boston.
