Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra has disclosed Ray Allen's moniker from his South Beach days.
The retired 43-year-old spent the last two seasons of his stellar career in Miami with the Heat. And the crazy three-point shot he nailed during the 2013 NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs won't soon be forgotten.
Now set to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame, Allen will be among 13 legends who will be immortalized by the NBA this Friday night.
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While it was easy to see how talented of a player Allen was, it's his insane work ethic that set him apart from teammates and opposition alike.
“Our nickname for him is ‘Everyday Ray,’’’ Spoelstra said while Allen was with the Heat between 2012 and 2014, via nba.com. “It’s every day. It’s not every other day. It’s not some days. It’s every single day Ray. His work ethic and his discipline are in the top percentage in this league. Ninety-nine percent of the players do not have that type of consistent work ethic.’’
Allen's three against the Spurs is worth a whole lot to the Heat organization - they simply wouldn't have won their fourth title had he not hit it. And, as the Miami coach has revealed, it was borne out of relentless practice.
The marksman had worked on that very shot in practice over a thousand times, backpedaling towards the arc and pretending time was running out before releasing the ball as quickly and smoothly as he could.
“[I’m] grateful for Ray and his obsessive-compulsive work ethic to work on that shot thousands and thousands of times," Spoelstra said the following season, "when everybody else would think that was too ridiculous a circumstance to actually try to practice something like that.”
“The No. 1 key for success – for All-Star games, Olympic team, Hall of Fame – is being available,” Allen said ahead of his induction. “So I made sure I was in the best shape and the most prepared I could be to give myself the best chances to be out there.
“I’m seen as a clutch player over the course of my career because I hit shots in the fourth quarter. But being out there in the fourth quarter means I’m one of the best in shape. You get to that mountain in the fourth quarter, other people are starting to fade and you’re still going.”