Curry on Allen retiring: ‘The greatest ever’

RAY Allen and Tim Duncan, two of the NBA’s greatest players, had retired.

The 7-foot-1 Duncan was the cornerstone of San Antonio. Never flashy, but Tim made it a habit to get the job done, mostly, in his almost a quarter of a century with the Spurs.

Almost, Duncan gave San Antonio another NBA title in 2013, but, alas, Allen butted in.

With 5.2 seconds left in Game Six of the Miami-San Antonio Finals that year, Allen knocked in the winning three in a win-or-else game.

It was the most spectacular, and definitely the most memorable, shot of that season for Allen as his triple forced a deciding Game Seven. That shot was bathed in drama and thrill. Allen, backtracking toward the corner, saw himself receiving a pass from the board-plucking Chris Bosh.

After securing the most memorable catch of the night, Allen, with a surgeon-like confidence that he was behind the arc from the right corner, jumped over the outstretched arms of Tony Parker.

When Allen’s game-tying three hit its mark, stunned was the crowd even as arena workers holding the ropes to cordon things off for the Spurs’ championship celebration froze.

As Allen walked to the Miami bench for overtime instructions, he shouted— mildly, of course— at the workers “to put those ropes aw ay.”

After Miami had gone on to win the game to arrange a winner-take-all Game Seven— also starring, of course, LeBron James— Allen went back to the workers and said, “What did I tell you?”

In the Finals decider, the ropes were back but for a different reason: To eventually protect the Heat from flocking fans wanting to have a piece of Miami’s championship euphoria.

“It’s going to be a shot that I’m going to remember for a long time,” said Allen that night. “There’s a lot of shots that I’ve made in my career, but this will go high up in the ranks.” How true. Until Steve Curry made 272 in the 20122013 season, Allen held the record in triples made for seven years with 269.

Allen’s work ethic is legendary. Almost always, he’d be at the arena for a workout three hours before games. On many occasions, he’d be shooting before the lights were even switched on.

“The greatest shooter to play the game,” said Curry in congratulating Allen, 41, on his car eer.