Sports

2008 Celtics players say it's up to Ray Allen to "make peace"

Ray Allen #20 and Paul Pierce #34 of the Boston Celtics look on during warm ups against the Miami Heat in Game Six of the Eastern Conference Finals in the 2012 NBA Playoffs on June 7, 2012 at TD Garden in Boston. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

BOSTON — Five players who were part of the 2008 World Champion Boston Celtics, including Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, gathered in a TNT studio to talk about their relationship with former teammate Ray Allen.

"People don't understand that this is real life for us," said Garnett. "The situation with Ray is very sensitive."

"When we talked about doing this reunion tour we talked about doing it with guys who we consider loyal," he continued. "My two cents, when Ray decided to go to the Heat, I feel like he moved on."

"I was inititally hurt by the whole way everything went down," said Pierce. "I don't have no beef with none of my teammates or nothing. I was just hurt on how it went down. We all came together, we talk everyday. We hung out all the time and then when it was time for free agency - to each his own... but I thought we formed a brotherhood in Boston not just how we carried ourselves not only on the court but off the court.

"I just figured if it was me leaving, or KG, I would have been like, 'Yo Rondo, Perk, Baby, this is what I've been thinking about.' That's what I was hurt by when Ray didn't at least give us a heads up about it." 

Later in the conversation, Kendrick Perkins chimed in. 

"Who going to break the ice? At this point and time, I don't think it's on nobody on here to break the ice," said Perkins. "I actually think it's on Ray to break the ice. If Ray wants to make amends with anybody up here or whatever the case, I think it's on him to reach out and say, 'Hey [Pierce], I handled this wrong. Man, we better than this. Hey Ticket, I handled this wrong. Hey Big Baby, I handled this wrong, or hey, Rondo, I handled this wrong, man.' Just get it past this, man. We won games together, man. We did a lot of things."

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