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Want to shoot like Ray Allen? Well you can’t, but here’s how can get closer

Boston Celtics v Miami Heat

MIAMI - NOVEMBER 11: Ray Allen #20 of the Boston Celtics shoots the ball during a game against the Miami Heat on November 11, 2010 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory copyright notice: Copyright NBAE 2010 (Photo by Victor Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images)

Victor Baldizon

Hello, ladies. Look at your man. Now look at Ray Allen. Now look at your man’s jumper now back to Ray Allen’s jumper. Don’t you wish your man’s jumper could stroke like Ray Allen’s? Well if you follow the advice Ray Allen gave the Boston Herald, he can. Well, okay, not really. Because he’s Ray Allen and your man isn’t. But still. From the Boston Herald.

“You shoot a lot of different ways,” he said, “but it’s all about your legs. So, No. 1, you have to be in the proper condition. You have to get on the treadmill and get yourself ready so your legs don’t get weak when you’re running up and down the floor.

“You’ve got to keep your lower body strong -- especially over an 82-game season. But even if you’re in high school, to duplicate the same form every time, you have to have the strength to get up even when you’re fatigued and coming off screens.”

But what about, you know, actually shooting the ball?

“That’s where the free throw line comes into play. You go to the free throw line and you get a routine,” Allen said. “You shoot the same way every time from the free throw line. That’s where you work on your upper body and your release form.

“The free throw line is all release. So that 20- or 25-footer to try to win a game is just a flick with your hands. Your lower body is what does the work.”


I’m on a horse.