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Ray Allen's exit from the Boston Celtics after spending five seasons with Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett was met with harsh criticism from his teammates and fans alike.
Allen left the Celtics to their rivals, the Miami Heat, who were responsible for knocking them out in the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals. The Heat defeated them in a best-of-seven series to become the Eastern Conference champions and eventual NBA title winners, led by LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.
When asked about the "beef" that existed between him and his teammates, Allen was of the opinion that there was none of that.
"There's no beef," Allen said. "When I left, I was so excited for my journey that I was on, but I loved these guys."
Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce did not share that sentiment, but they reunited during the All-Star weekend. The trio reconnected and shared a hug at the center of the court during Garnett's jersey retirement.
Pierce described the experience as a "special moment," stating that time heals wounds. He shared on The Hoop Genius podcast that Allen was instrumental in their successes as they were a special group.
"That was a special moment, especially at Kevin's retirement," Pierce said. "He was able to do something very special in Boston for a lot of years and, you know, it just was only time, always heals wounds and we all know that."
He also stated that the team was not happy about Allen's exit, but at the end of the day, "brothers are always going to be brothers."
"And you know we didn't like the way Ray exited, but you know we did some special together and brothers are always gonna be brothers at the end of the day," he continued. "It's all happy we were able to come together and mend the fences and move on from what happened in the past."
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Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett - the 2008 champions
The Doc Rivers-led team won the championship title in 2008, after defeating the LA Lakers in a game of 6. They finished the regular season with a record of 66-16, the franchise's second-best record.
Paul Pierce was awarded the 2008 Finals MVP award for putting up one of the greatest comeback performances after being carried off the court and escorted out with a wheelchair in Game One in the Finals. Meanwhile, Kevin Garnett was awarded the Defensive Player of the Year for his amazing defensive play to give his team the advantage.
Reflecting on his exit from the Celtics, Allen had said that he always held the entire mission of the franchise close to his heart. He revealed that he had some great games and experience in the five years he spent with the team. He stated that everything they did was what he has held dear in the past 10 years.
"The thing that I always hold close to my heart is not just 2008, but that whole mission - 2009, 2010," Allen stated. "In this building, we played some amazing games, had some great times on the planes, just life was great for those five years and that's what I focused on over the last 10 years, everything that we did together. That to me was the most important."
Guess the Lakers players!
