The Celtics made it pretty clear last night: the old grudge with Ray Allen is over.
Boston welcomed Allen back into the building during its home opener win over New York, and the reception told the story. The Celtics acknowledged both Allen and Paul Pierce, drawing loud applause from the crowd. If it had been Allen alone, maybe the reaction would have tilted more toward scattered boos, but that wasn’t the vibe inside the arena.
The moment that really stood out came late in the game, when Jayson Tatum was closing things out against the Knicks. After knocking down a tough bucket, he pointed toward someone sitting courtside.
That someone was Allen. The Celtics then doubled down by posting an image of Tatum and Allen acknowledging each other on social media, another sign that the public thaw is complete.
That peace didn’t happen by accident. Pierce was already saying back in 2017 that he had moved on from what Allen did, and Kevin Garnett essentially said the same thing five years later during his retirement ceremony, where Allen showed up in support. Allen was also there when Boston won Banner 18 at home.
Allen has made his own efforts to smooth things over, too. He said he would have come out of his NBA hiatus to return to the Celtics if Boston had won the Kevin Durant sweepstakes in 2016. It’s also become harder to ignore how much he valued his years in Boston.
As for Miami, Allen hasn’t exactly shown the same kind of affection, though he doesn’t really have the same kind of history to make up there. Some Celtics fans will always hold onto what happened in 2012, and that’s understandable given what came next. But Boston has clearly chosen to focus on the legacy Allen built in green, and on this night, at least, the organization seemed perfectly content to let the past stay buried.
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