Via Jessica Camerato of CSNNE.com:
Allen’s shot attempts decreased from 14.4 per game in February to 11.5 in March. As a result, his scoring dropped from 18.4 points to 15.1 points from month to month.
Coming into Sunday’s game against the Pistons, he was averaging 9.4 attempts over his last five contests. He wound up with 13 (points) in the Celts' 101-90 win over Detroit.
The Celtics want Allen to be involved in their offense. As they near the postseason, they know how much of a contributor he can be on the floor. Despite his recent struggles, he's still the team’s second-highest scorer with 16.8 points per game.
Kevin Garnett made a conscious effort on Sunday night to Allen touches against the Detroit Pistons.
Allen attempted just three field goals through the first three quarters of the Celtics' win. He hit a stride in the fourth, when he shot a perfect three-for-three from the field.
“He’s going to be huge for us,” Garnett said of Allen in the playoffs. “I think I took it upon myself to get him some looks, just knowing the past couple of games, him not having a rhythm, trying to establish him a rhythm going into these last couple games we have and then on to [the playoffs]. He’s going to be huge for us [as to] whether we win or whether we don’t win.”
Sounds like Ubuntu is alive and well in the Celtics locker room (despite the proclamation of its death with the Perkins trade).
Ray goes through shooting slumps all the time. This one has received extra attention because 1) the Celtics have struggled offensively and 2) Ray is getting fewer looks.
While I have no stats to back this up (when has that stopped me before?), I think Ray benefits most when Rondo is in the groove. When was the last time you saw Rondo nail Ray with a perfect feed on the break for an open 3?
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