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Me, myself and Allen an NBA eastern paradox
Article written by:Steven Schindler
It’s an NBA Eastern Conference thing, you see. It’s a conundrum as old as the peach basket itself. Now you see him, now you don’t. Allen is magnificent, Allen flops. Allen is everywhere, Allen has left the building. Allen conquers and Allen is vanquished. How can this be? There is but one name, but the name bears many truths. Is Allen man or myth? When can one know for sure?
When the fat lady sings, that's when we
shall know. And not a second sooner if either Allen has anything to do
with it. Whether it will be Ray Allen of the Milwaukee Bucks, or the
Philadelphia 76ers' Allen Iverson standing at the end of this playoff
series is anyone's guess. There is but one certainty, both will have left
everything on the floor and neither may have the strength to go
on.
To the East in Philly there lives an Allen whose body tells the
story of his life. He wears the do, he walks the walk, he is his own man
who will never forsake his hood. Many do not know what this Allen is made
of for they refuse to see the man for the tattoos.
Philly Allen has
the strength of 10 Allens, carrying the weight of an offense, a team, and
a city on his scant shoulders. He is derided by many and idolized by more.
Philly Allen is unpredictable, uncoverable and virtually unstoppable when
up against any one man. He has pummeled the golden goal 1,100 times more
than his next strongest mate has. It takes an army of five to achieve
equality with him.
This Allen fought through adversity and injury
for a season to end them all. He rode the playoff clouds hitting 52 as if
the ball had eyes and then wallowed in the pain of an altered tailbone
with which he couldn't quash a fly with a brick.
His comrades
cannot go far without him, they will need him in the end. Those that know
him know of his loyalty and courage and that he will play with the pain.
He gives his all to one woman, one city, one team and he will give until
he has nothing left but a tablespoon of carbon and water.
"I don't
think he's ever hurt our team," Philly coach Larry Brown has said. "In his
mind, he knows he can play better. We need him considering who we don't
have." These are very profound words from a non-Zen kind of
guy.
The Bucks have an Allen, an Allen of a different sort. He is
not a team in of himself but at times he gives that illusion. He has no
thoughts that he can stand alone, but when he must he does, and on that
subject no man can argue.
Buck Allen thrives in the land of "spread
the wealth". No man is an island; no Buck shoots alone; the few support
the many and the many shall conquer all. The understanding amongst Buck
Allen and his mates is that the hot hand shall shoot the rock of ages, but
in the end there will be plenty of shots for everyone. Unselfish is their
game; "Look, we beat you" is their name.
Buck Allen takes slaps
from no one except his coach of course. He covers unstoppable Allens with
blankets and drops in 38 of his own. His style is smoothness and grace and
when he glides past a cohort's pick his followers see "three" before the
ball even leaves his fingers. He can be Allen, he can be Jordan. His speed
leaves injured tailbones limping and beaten in the end.
Philly
Allen believes in volume shooting, so does Buck Allen's crew. Instead of
one man alone though, the Bucks say, "Here's one for you, and you and
you." Who's to say who's wrong here? Both have won and both are right.
Just depends on where your Allen lives and how you want your
fight.
"The volume shooting mentality that's coming into our league
is kind of confusing coaches," said Bucks' headman George Karl. "I told
Ray [Allen] and his lawyer and his family once, 'If you want the volume
shooting you probably better ask for a trade because I don't think I can
handle it.'" The man with two first names definitely knows his
limitations.
Legend holds there are two Allens and some will swear
there's only one. For whichever is left standing from this eastern
ballyhoo, there's hell to pay in Laker Land before their battle's
through.
Article provided courtesy of http://www.e-sports.com/
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