11. Ray Allen – @ Philadelphia 76ers, February 26, 2001
This wasn’t Ray Allen’s highest scoring game as a Buck, nor was it even his most memorable or important against the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2001 season (the highlights from the ECF game above will attest to that), but it’s the game that serves as the perfect reminder of exactly the type of player that Allen was in his prime.
Where many NBA fans today will have their memories of Allen as the lights out specialist shooter, “Jesus Shuttlesworth” was once much more dynamic than that gives him credit for. Ray Allen could do it all.
With both teams gunning for the playoffs, and it looking likely that they could indeed meet as rivals further down the line, this was the type of regular season game that starts to take on some extra meaning. If the Bucks were to go in to Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center and grab a win, that would make a real statement.
That’s exactly what George Karl‘s team ultimately managed to do thanks to Allen. The former UConn Husky put on a show, scoring 42 points, but also grabbing nine rebounds and dishing out seven assists to go with them.
On this occasion Allen was Milwaukee’s conductor, throwing down the gauntlet to Iverson for the rivalry that would develop between them when the post-season rolled around.
Next: 10. Ricky Pierce