The NBA season opens in four weeks with the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat on TNT. And when the Celtics land in Miami, don't expect the guys to call up old buddy Ray Allen for some post-game drinks at LIV… especially Kevin Garnett. Because according to KG,
"I don't have Ray's number anymore."
The Celtics and the Heat have quickly turned into bitter rivals, primarily since the Celtics pose one of the few significant threats to Miami's dominance in the East. An old and broken team still managed to push the Heat to seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals. After the Celtics had to watch Miami's championship celebration, they had to watch Miami gloat again after poaching the NBA's all-time 3-point leader.
Kevin Garnett lobbied Ray Allen hard to stay in Boston, and Ray still passed on a return. Later, it was revealed that Ray was not too fond of picking up KG's post-game slack, which is just one of the many reasons Ray seems happy to be in Miami. And he did not seem too bothered by Garnett's comments.
"That's a shame," Allen said. "I'm a good person to talk to on the phone.
And just to add some gasoline to this fire, Dwyane Wade chimed in.
"(Garnett) doesn't need to be talking to our team anyway, so it's all good"
Toss in Rondo calling Ray Allen "Oh, that guy?" and we have got ourselves the ingredients for some good ol' fashioned animosity.
Now the question is, can Ray step up and torch his former teammates? It was revealed over the weekend that the ankle which was operated on to clear out bone spurs will continue to be a problem all season long. And if that is the case, you have to wonder how much that will affect his shooting.
Revenge, no matter who exacts it, is going to be a season-long effort that starts October 30. Either Ray is going to get back at the Celtics for the near-trades and his beefs with certain players… or the Celtics will get their revenge by showing they did not need Ray after all.
I would not be surprised if Garnett suddenly finds Ray's number if it is the Celtics that come out on top.
