Friday night news surfaced what all Celtics fans had hoped would surface.  Ray Allen agreed to sign with Miami Heat thus breaking up the 5 year run for the Celtics "Big 3" which won a title in 2008 and lost in the finals in 2010.  We all thought it was a possibility that Ray would leave the Celtics for another team and it was expected that the Heat were the main competitors for Ray Allens services.  But just because its a possibility doesnt mean you have to be prepared for it when the news broke.  I was absolutely crushed that Ray had decided to leave Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett for the team that elimnated them from the playoffs the past two seasons.  Sure Ray has every right to explore his options as a free agent and you cant fault him for title chasing. It just really hurts especially since Garnett is back for another 3 years and the core of the team that was just 1 win from another finals appearnce is back on board.

Some will point to the agreement with Jason Terry to join the Celtics as a reason why Allen left.  I don't see it that way though.  Terry is a veteran with championship experience and can play both the point position and the two guard.  He is one of the best bench scorers in the NBA and offers instant offense.  Others might also look at the emergence of Avery Bradley mid way through last year where he claimed the starting role and held it when Allen returned from injury.  I think a lot of people will point to the apparent rocky relationship Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo shared.  It never seemed to be a factor on the court and you rarely ever heard about it in the media during the season but there are a lot of reports out now that they really didnt get along and that could have been a factor.

We know that money wasn't the biggest factor because the Heat only are able to offer him around 3 million a season.  The Celtics reportidely offered him 2 years 12 million which means he took a pretty big pay cut to join the Miami Heat.  Ray will most likeley have to accept a role off the bench unless Bosh plays center and LeBron moves to power forward. Or if they go with Wade at the point guard which I think is unlikely.  The one this that makes Miami such a good option for Allen is the fact that he will have tons of open shots.  When Wade and LeBron penetrate the defense is going to have to make a choice weather to stop the penetration thus allowing Ray to be open in the corner and do what he does best which is hit the three point ball.

When you look at the situation, Ray was really in a tough spot.  He is reaching the end of his career and he had a chance to join the defending champs and a shot for another ring.  I would have liked to see him stay with Boston and try to win another championship so far that I will not cheer or root for Ray Allen when the Heat come to Bosotn.  I appreciate all he did for the Celtics in helping them capture the title in 2008 but I can't respect his decision to join pretty much the Celtics main rival in the East for the past few seasons.