He got more game

Sporting News, The, May 21, 2001 by Sean Stewart

Ray Allen has taken his play to new heights in the postseason, making the Bucks serious contenders in the East

The precision with which Ray Allen plays basketball would make a Swiss watchmaker jealous.

Tick, tock. Allen connects on a 3-pointer from the corner. Tick, tock. Allen drives to the hoop and dishes to Glenn Robinson for a basket. Tick, tock. Allen runs off a couple of screens to receive the ball on the wing. Tick, tock. Allen drains two free-throw attempts. Tick, tock. Allen finishes the game with 28 points, nine assists and three rebounds. Tick, tock. Chalk up another win for Allen and the Bucks.

But lately, something about Ray Allen isn't so precise, so dean-cut It's that beard. True, it's a tiny, goatee-wannabe type of beard, but it's there, sitting on his chin. Allen meant to shave it off but, in a nod to playoff superstition, he is keeping the tuff.

The beard, or mini-beard as it may be, seems out of place on Allen's face. After all, Allen is the guy with the pleasant demeanor and well-rounded off-the-court existence. But aside from being one of the NBA's last Boy Scouts in an era of bombastic personalities and impossible-to-measure egos, Allen's game, which has been good with glimpses of greatness in his first five NBA seasons, has reached another level in these playoffs.

In the Bucks' first-round series against the Magic, Allen's performance was overshadowed by Tracy McGrady's coming-out party. Still, Allen averaged 24.5 points and made 54.5 percent of his shots in the series, finishing off the Magic with 26 points on sizzling 9-of-13 shooting in Game 4. Allen's hot streak continued into the conference semifinals against the Hornets, as he averaged 23.3 points the first four games of the series.

This is Allen's first trip to the conference semifinals. The past two seasons, Allen's Bucks have been bounced in the first round. Despite being a playoff novice, Allen understands the pressure to perform well in the postseason. He has learned by being a student of the game. What Allen used to see Michael Jordan do--get better with each round-Allen is trying to do with the Bucks.

"I don't think he (Jordan) ever looked at it as pressure. I think that he said, `I'm supposed to be here, this is what I'm going to do, and I am going to take command of what is going on,' "Allen says. "That's kind of the same mentality I'm trying to approach this whole game because I feel like this team is supposed to be here, along with myself."

There is no argument Allen can do just about everything you can think of on the hardwood. Known for his smooth jumper and effortless style, he busted out a monster jam with a bit of attitude over McGrady in the final seconds of regulation in Game 3 against the Magic.

Allen has the skills, but is he a superstar? Is he capable of leading the Bucks to a championship?

Ranking Ray

To get at the question of whether Allen is a star, consider his standing among his fellow shooting guards.

McGrady might think he belongs after he averaged 33.8 points in the first round, but most would agree that McGrady and Allen still are trying to join Allen Iverson, Vince Carter and Kobe Bryant at the head of the shooting guard class.

Iverson is a unique player--and it has nothing to do with the protective sleeve he wears on his arm or the tattoos that cover his body. He is an incredible offensive force with a rare talent for taking over a game and willing his team, with his high-octane moxie, to wins. What's more incredible is that, on a good day, Iverson is--maybe--6 feet. He is the anti-Ray Allen, full of attitude and just as likely to say the wrong thing as he is to fire more than 30 shots in a game.

Carter has all the explosiveness of Iverson but is 6 inches taller and more capable, because of that height, of getting shots where he wants to take them. The only knock on Carter was that he couldn't win a playoff game--until he helped bounce the Knicks in the first round.

Then there's Bryant, a 6-7 wunderkind who dared to challenge Phil Jackson's grand scheme this season. Bryant has Iverson's intensity, Carter's size and athleticism and the beginnings of Jordan's championship pedigree.

"They all have their style, and Ray has a style," Bucks coach George Karl says. "Ray, I kind of think he's more in a style of a George Gervin. He's a fluid player, he's a flow player, he's a finesse player. He doesn't have that explosive power that Carter and Bryant have. I think Ray is more into a kind of a ballet-like performer. That bothers me sometimes because I think he needs to be dirtier and tougher sometimes. But in general, I respect how he gets it done."

Allen always has fallen into the next group of shooting guards, which includes an eclectic mix of Reggie Miller, Eddie Jones, Michael Finley, Allan Houston, Jerry Stackhouse and Derek Anderson.

Pacers president Donnie Walsh, who has witnessed Miller's legendary playoff performances up dose, says Allen has the tools to move into the top tier.

"I love his game," Walsh says. "He's got all you need for the position.... He's a very good athlete.