Thursday night, Ray Allen will take the court in Game 7 of the NBA Finals for the second time in four years.
Celtics fans all remember Allen’s last trip to the Finals, but the Miami Heat sharpshooter tries to block that experience out of his mind.
According to The Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn, Allen said Wednesday that Boston took Game 7 of the 2010 Finals against the Lakers “too lightly,” and it makes him sick to think about.
L.A., of course, won that game at Staples Center to clinch Kobe Bryant‘s fifth NBA championship, and the Celtics have not returned to Finals since.
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While he may not want to admit it, Allen’s Heat are attempting to follow in the 2010 Lakers’ footsteps in the later stages of this year’s Finals. Los Angeles trailed the Celtics three games to two in the best-of-seven series before winning the final two contests at home to clinch the title.
Miami, likewise, was pushed to the brink of elimination with a 114-104 loss in Game 5 in San Antonio. The Heat responded with an overtime win at home in Game 6 — Allen nailed a game-tying 3-pointer with five seconds left in regulation — setting up a winner-take-all matchup Thursday night.
