WALTHAM, Mass. -
Ray Allen stepped on the Hartford Civic Center court 26 times in a UConn Huskies uniform and walked off with 26 victories.
As he returns to Trumbull Street for the Celtics-Raptors exhibition tonight, the memories of Hartford flow. There were Big East victories over Syracuse and Georgetown, there were the intense battles between bruisers such as teammate Donny Marshall and St. John's forward Charles Minlend, and there were the big crowds.
"I remember those games like they were yesterday," Allen said. "I remember a lot of the players' faces and the teams we beat."
But the one that stands out is the last game he played in Hartford. The Huskies blew out Virginia 76-46 on Jan. 28, 1996, as Allen scored 24 points.
In the stands, high school recruit Richard Hamilton watched. Hamilton's mother sat with Allen's mother at the Civic Center.
"I just remember him coming up to me after the game and saying, 'I didn't know you could shoot like that,'" Allen said.
A few months later, Hamilton was headed for Storrs and Allen was off the NBA. Allen is about to start his 14th season, but first he'll experience a homecoming in his adopted city.
The Celtics haven't played in Hartford since a 1995 exhibition game that drew only 5,646. Fans were still angry after the Celtics ended a 21-year tradition of playing three regular season games a year in Hartford.
When Boston Garden was replaced with a new arena in 1995, the Celtics abandoned Hartford. After that '95 exhibition game at the Civic Center, they played exhibition games at the Mohegan Sun Arena in 2001-07.
About 8,000 tickets have been sold for tonight's game at what is now known as the XL Center, which seats 16,294. As the Celtics return, no one is happier than Allen.
"I'm excited to get back and play in Connecticut," Allen said. "It's great to get back there and play in front of a lot of people who supported me my whole career."
Allen spent most of his NBA career in Milwaukee and Seattle, but he remained connected to Connecticut. His wife, Shannon, is a Middletown native whose family is in the area, and Allen has been spending his summers in the Hartford area for years.
And since joining the Celtics two years ago, he has continually run into friends and fans from Connecticut at games in Boston. It has made him wonder why the Celtics haven't been playing exhibition games in Hartford.
"It seems like it was such a great model," Allen said. "Hartford was such a great city, having a venue there, a great city for the team to come through and play there. When you're talking about revenue and the fans and the ticket holders here in the Boston area, well, Connecticut ... is not that far away."
The Celtics' last regular season game in Hartford was a 129-104 victory over the Pistons on April 15, 1995. Two months earlier, Allen was one of 15,242 at the Civic Center when the Celtics of Sherman Douglas and Dino Radja were playing Shaquille O'Neal the Orlando Magic.
The Celtics won by a basket and Shaq scored 38 points. Allen, a sophomore at UConn, was enthralled.
"It was a world I wasn't part of," Allen said. "But I wanted to be part of it."
The Celtics — who were 46-20 at the Civic Center — were an irrelevant franchise when they last played in Hartford. As they return, they're a year removed from a title and are expected to contend for another championship.
Kevin Garnett is working himself back from knee surgery. Rasheed Wallace is working himself into the rotation. And Allen and Paul Pierce are working on their conditioning as the aging Celtics try to squeeze out their 18th title before the window closes on the Big Three.
Allen said the team is motivated and healthy. He dismisses the idea that time is running out on the team.
As for his conditioning, Allen, 34, said he carries the lessons he learned as a kid in Connecticut.
"The better conditioned I am, the better shots I'm going to get, the more shots I'm going to make, the more I'm going to outlast my opponent," Allen said. "And that's coming from college. I keep that mentality, even today."
>> Celtics vs. Raptors: Exhibition, XL Center, 7:30 p.m., CSN
As he returns to Trumbull Street for the Celtics-Raptors exhibition tonight, the memories of Hartford flow. There were Big East victories over Syracuse and Georgetown, there were the intense battles between bruisers such as teammate Donny Marshall and St. John's forward Charles Minlend, and there were the big crowds.
"I remember those games like they were yesterday," Allen said. "I remember a lot of the players' faces and the teams we beat."
But the one that stands out is the last game he played in Hartford. The Huskies blew out Virginia 76-46 on Jan. 28, 1996, as Allen scored 24 points.
In the stands, high school recruit Richard Hamilton watched. Hamilton's mother sat with Allen's mother at the Civic Center.
"I just remember him coming up to me after the game and saying, 'I didn't know you could shoot like that,'" Allen said.
A few months later, Hamilton was headed for Storrs and Allen was off the NBA. Allen is about to start his 14th season, but first he'll experience a homecoming in his adopted city.
The Celtics haven't played in Hartford since a 1995 exhibition game that drew only 5,646. Fans were still angry after the Celtics ended a 21-year tradition of playing three regular season games a year in Hartford.
When Boston Garden was replaced with a new arena in 1995, the Celtics abandoned Hartford. After that '95 exhibition game at the Civic Center, they played exhibition games at the Mohegan Sun Arena in 2001-07.
About 8,000 tickets have been sold for tonight's game at what is now known as the XL Center, which seats 16,294. As the Celtics return, no one is happier than Allen.
"I'm excited to get back and play in Connecticut," Allen said. "It's great to get back there and play in front of a lot of people who supported me my whole career."
Allen spent most of his NBA career in Milwaukee and Seattle, but he remained connected to Connecticut. His wife, Shannon, is a Middletown native whose family is in the area, and Allen has been spending his summers in the Hartford area for years.
And since joining the Celtics two years ago, he has continually run into friends and fans from Connecticut at games in Boston. It has made him wonder why the Celtics haven't been playing exhibition games in Hartford.
"It seems like it was such a great model," Allen said. "Hartford was such a great city, having a venue there, a great city for the team to come through and play there. When you're talking about revenue and the fans and the ticket holders here in the Boston area, well, Connecticut ... is not that far away."
The Celtics' last regular season game in Hartford was a 129-104 victory over the Pistons on April 15, 1995. Two months earlier, Allen was one of 15,242 at the Civic Center when the Celtics of Sherman Douglas and Dino Radja were playing Shaquille O'Neal the Orlando Magic.
The Celtics won by a basket and Shaq scored 38 points. Allen, a sophomore at UConn, was enthralled.
"It was a world I wasn't part of," Allen said. "But I wanted to be part of it."
The Celtics — who were 46-20 at the Civic Center — were an irrelevant franchise when they last played in Hartford. As they return, they're a year removed from a title and are expected to contend for another championship.
Kevin Garnett is working himself back from knee surgery. Rasheed Wallace is working himself into the rotation. And Allen and Paul Pierce are working on their conditioning as the aging Celtics try to squeeze out their 18th title before the window closes on the Big Three.
Allen said the team is motivated and healthy. He dismisses the idea that time is running out on the team.
As for his conditioning, Allen, 34, said he carries the lessons he learned as a kid in Connecticut.
"The better conditioned I am, the better shots I'm going to get, the more shots I'm going to make, the more I'm going to outlast my opponent," Allen said. "And that's coming from college. I keep that mentality, even today."
>> Celtics vs. Raptors: Exhibition, XL Center, 7:30 p.m., CSN
the fact that there is 8,000 tickets still available is flat out embarassing. the people of this state complain that they don't have a pro sports team. Well THEY DON'T DESERVE ONE and if you think the celtics are going to give up the gate of a sold out crowd to play to a half full arena then you are out of your mind!!! This may be the worst sports city/state in america!!!!!
ateam120 (10/14/2009, 3:12 PM )