BOSTON — The first day of spring doesn’t arrive officially until next Sunday, March 20. But there was a far more momentous thaw here at TD Garden this afternoon.
Kevin Garnett‘s number retirement was an expected event. There was no mystery to the occasion that had been scheduled some two years prior. But the question of whether Ray Allen would be a part of the celebration hung in the air beneath the Celtic banners until he walked into the building and reunited the Paul Pierce-KG-Allen triumvirate. The Big Three from the Celts’ last championship, essentially estranged by Garnett since Allen left for Miami as a free agent in 2012, had been together for a token photograph or two as part of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary team a few weeks ago.
But things became official when Garnett paused during his ceremony to thank Allen for being here. The two and Pierce then joined in a group hug, met by a rousing ovation from the Garden crowd, that healed any lingering wounds over Allen’s departure.
Pierce had mended things with Allen, but Garnett had resisted. He’d talked to Allen about being part of a TV project, but that was private. Today was very public — and Allen reveled in every bit of it.
Players and other participants in the postgame ceremony lingered on the parquet court afterward, but they all drifted away after a time to attend pre-arranged gatherings. Allen was the last player standing, accommodating two, three, four media requests — the last of which in a group.
He acknowledged a welcome sense of completion, as if a circle had been closed and he was within its boundary.
“Yeah. Most definitely,” said Allen. “I don’t like being on outside. And that’s there’s so many people here that I love, you know, that I spent time with, that had been a part of the family, being in the Type 1 diabetes family here with the Joslin Center and, you know, all the legwork we did in trying to raise awareness.”
‘They’re Etched in my Mind’
He mentioned some of the familiar faces he would see at each home game during his five seasons with the Celtics and how he could still see them when he watched games from Boston on television.
“Those people, they’re etched in my mind,” Allen said. “When it comes to my time spent here at Boston, to not be able to connect with them, it was tough for me. Just because I moved away doesn’t mean that relationship or that friendship ends.
“And so it did center around, you know, Kevin and myself, because I did get the sense that the people here felt how Kevin felt. Once he accepted me, then the people would accept me. That was that was the sense, and I was glad that we can do that and people could see it and we could say, ‘You know, we won with this guy in 2008, and that’s what matters most.'”
What mattered to Ray Allen for a long time was October 30, 2012 — opening night in Miami between the Celtics and his Heat — when Garnett ignored him. It stung, and it stuck.
“You know, the first game that we played, when he wouldn’t shake my hand in Miami, I didn’t want that feeling anymore, because that was a terrible feeling,” Allen said.
Allen Happy to Support Garnett
He still had some questions of how Garnett would react today, “But once we got to the back, I knew this was a moment to celebrate him and let him know I was here to support him.”
Said Allen, “I think it was more about he and I just hugging it out and moving forward. I love this building, and I haven’t been in this building forever. So I wanted to be in front of the fan base. I think All Star Weekend just kind of… the words didn’t have to be exchanged.
“But just kind of being around each other and just kind of talking a little bit, like, you know, we’re old men now and we have nothing to sit back and be angry about, because we did some special things together. We’ve got to continue to celebrate that moving forward.”
As Ray Allen was being pulled away toward the next event on KG day, he was asked how soon he’ll be booking a flight back to Boston.
“I would love that,” he said.
Especially since he knows now his love for Boston will be reciprocated.
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Ray Allen Opens Up on ‘Terrible’ Celtics Exile on Kevin Garnett’s Big Day