Narrative

All over the Boston newspapers on April 2, 2012 was the story of how the 18 year old rookie Deonte Rivers of the Boston Celtics hit the game winning 3 pointer. No one expected this to happen, usually Ray Allen is the go to guy in situations like that, although he left the game early with bone chips in his right ankle. That put Deonte in the position to be open with just seconds to spare.

In an interview after the game Deonte thanked one person in particular, Ray Allen. “He really helped me perfect my shot. There was one time we stayed hours after practice ended and he told my things like how to keep my elbow and wrist during a shot. He always says to focus on the arc. Without his help there is no way that shot would have gone in. ”

“I told him to stay humble. There will be more shots like that for him in the future if he works for it, and he will. It is easy to teach someone who wants to be taught.” Ray Allen said following the game.

That win secured their 4th seed in the playoffs. They would eventually go on to play and beat the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the Eastern Conference.

“I like to think back to that game a lot. It is proof of what I am capable of.” Deonte stated.

This is the story of what brought a Roxbury native to fame in the city of Boston.

It was a must win game and the Celtics trailed the Atlanta Hawks the entire game. Their only lead was with 7 minutes left in the 1st quarter when they led 15-14. It was only in the 3rd quarter when they came alive with the help of Deonte Rivers, a 2 guard. Even thought he was only 6'3, he could dunk as good as anyone.

Even though Ray Allen led the Celtics scoring with 27 points, Deonte was not far behind with 19. He was shooting 3's, being aggressive on defense and getting offensive rebounds. It was a great game for everyone's stats, but they needed to win this game to seek home court advantage in the playoffs.

Even though the Celtics were trailing, the game was far from over when Ray left early in the 3rd quarter.

“When Ray left we all knew we had to pick up the pace if we wanted any chance of winning.” Deonte said.

And that's just what they did. Coming back from being down 13, the Celtic's had their eye on the prize.

“Every game is special. You may not think it, but it is.” Kevin Garnett said to a reporter following the game.

Crawling back to within 5, the Celtic's lit up the garden with shots and steals. There were 30 seconds left in the 3rd quarter, and Josh Smith's (Hawks) mid lane floater had just gotten blocked by Stiemsma and made its way to Rondo's hands. It was a chance for them to tie the game with a 2, or lead with a 3 into the 4th. Point guard Rajon Rondo called a play called “elbow 3”, which sets picks to get Paul Pierce an open shot.

Pierce got the ball but decided to drive rather than take a mid range jumper. He was able to assist an alley-oop to Brandon Bass. The buzzer sounded and the game was tied heading into the 4th quarter. It was anyones game at this point.

Coach Doc had something to say before the fourth quarter started. “Guys, you are playing team basketball now. Keep denying the ball and moving it on offense. We will win this game on defense. You know that!”

Ray knows that better than anyone. He has been on 3 NBA teams and none of them ever came close to the bond he has with his teammates on the Celtics.

Everyone knew the Hawks would open the last quarter with energy, and that's exactly what they did. The Celtic's made sloppy turnovers but managed to keep up the pace on defense. The first 8 minutes of the 4th quarter were back and fourth shots for both teams. Some makes some misses.

Some people say that when the game gets under 3 minutes, it's time to panic. So, with 3 minutes left to play, that's what the home crowd did. At this point Ray Allen was in the locker room icing his ankle while watching the game eagerly on a TV.

When there was under 3 minutes left, no one on the court gave anything less than 100% effort. The score was now Celtics 84, Hawks 83. It was the Celtic's possession but the Hawk guard Jeff Teague intercepted Rondo's pass to KG at the center possession. He immediately called a time out and the play was obvious. There was now 45 seconds left and Teague drove to the hoop, sucking in the Celtics defense which made it easy for him to pass to a then open Joe Johnson for a 3. He made it.

The score was now Celtic's 84, Hawks 86.

With 24 seconds left in the game, it was our ball. Rondo broke the full court press and wasted time until there was 12 seconds left. Doc called a time out.

“Get it to Paul (Pierce)” Doc said as he drew out a play on his clipboard. The play was to set double screens on Pierce to assure him getting open for the shot. But often times things do not work out as we hope, and this was one of those times. 12 seconds left, then 11, 10, 9. The Hawks caught on fast and quickly double teamed Pierce. “That's when I saw the corner 3 spot open and sprinted.” Deonte stated. Rondo dribbled in as if to take a layup and as the defense came to his side, he threw a no look behind the back pass to Deonte who didn't think twice about taking the shot.

“It seemed like the ball was in the air for minutes.” Deonte laughed. “It was unreal when it went in. The Garden crowd went crazy! When I was younger I went to a game and the crowd went wild every time someone made a shot. I loved that. Now they were cheering for me. It was unreal.”

Mike and Tommy interviewed Deonte after the game, asking what was going through his mind before, after and during the shot.

“I knew I had to take it because it was a wide open shot and we were down 2. In this league, you don't pass up shots in a situation like that. Ray (Allen) always talks about confidence and how if you don't have it, the shot won't go in. I had remembered the extra hours with Ray shooting and I knew if I remembered everything he said, then I had as good a chance as anyone to make it.”

“Ray, what did you think when he hit that key shot to seal the win?” Asked a reporter after the game.

“I was happy for him and that we won. I knew the Hawks would catch on and double team Pierce so someone would have to step up. In this situation, it was Deonte's turn to step up. It's great for a young kids confidence to even be trusted with the ball in a situation like that, but to hit the shot and bring a home crowd to their feet is amazing.”

After hearing Ray's statement, Deonte was asked his thoughts.

“Let's just say this, without Ray's help, there is no way that shot would have gone in.”