Author Topic: Ray Allen has OCD (literally)  (Read 25576 times)

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Ray Allen has OCD (literally)
« on: April 20, 2008, 12:52:34 PM »

Offline Roy Hobbs

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This morning's Globe has a very fascinating article by Jackie MacMullan, looking at Ray Allen's routines / rituals, and how they fit into a team concept.  For anybody who wants a behind-the-scenes look at the Celtics, this is a must read.

Some excerpts (but again, read the whole thing):

Quote
"I had a borderline case of OCD [obsessive compulsive disorder]," Allen explains. "I was never diagnosed, but it was something I was aware of."

This is how Ray Allen's mind works. If there is a speck of paper on the floor in his house, he cannot walk by without picking it up. He has tried. He has purposely marched up the stairs without correcting the glaring imperfection, but he's unable to eliminate the image from his mind until he goes back down, throws the scrap in the wastebasket, and restores order in his home.

He requires the same symmetry in his basketball universe. That's why, when Paul Pierce suddenly began doing 360 dunks in warm-ups earlier this season, Allen demanded an explanation.

"We were winning," Allen says. "Why would he change it up when we were winning?"

Quote
It was inevitable that [the] approaches [of Ray, Pierce, and KG] would collide. In early December, Garnett was at his locker, alone, silently visualizing his responsibilities for the game. Allen, who had long ago completed his pregame tasks, was joking with Kendrick Perkins and Rajon Rondo. The noise interrupted Garnett's concentration. He barked his objections; his veteran teammate barked back.

"They got into it with each other," reports Rondo. "Me and Perk were sitting there going, 'Whoa, what's this about?' "

"Stuff like that happens on teams all the time," Pierce insists. "Different personalities. But Ray's to blame. He's crazy. One night he gets on the plane and says, 'Paul, you're in the wrong seat.' I told him, 'Man, there's a hundred seats open. Leave me alone.' "

Quote
Ray's obsession with routine has struck a chord with Rondo, who confesses, "I probably have OCD myself." The point guard must wash his hands twice at the nine-minute mark of every game. When teammates and fans high-five him, he offers a closed fist to ward off germs.

Quote
He talks to Perkins and Glen Davis about their social life. Allen doesn't drink alcohol. He reminds the young big men, "You have all summer to go out. Do it then. Not now. Not with so much at stake."

Quote
The Celtics have asked Ray Allen to reinvent himself this season. He plays fewer minutes, takes fewer shots, is no longer the focal point of the offense.

"You see him sacrifice," says Perkins, "and you think, 'If he can do it, then I can do it, too.' "

Those changes were palatable for Ray. But he blanched when Rivers changed the team shootaround from the morning of the game to three hours before the game. And when Davis's minutes dwindled, and the coaches asked him to put in workouts before and after games, that cut into Allen's alone time on the floor.

"The last time I talked to Ray, he was ticked at Big Baby for not playing better, because he was messing up his pregame," Calhoun says. "I said to Ray, 'You've been in this league 12 years. Don't you have this down by now?' "

Great stuff by Jackie. 

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Re: Ray Allen has OCD (literally)
« Reply #1 on: April 20, 2008, 01:05:23 PM »

Offline Roy Hobbs

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As much as I get on him for a lot of his in-game decisions, this article is another example of why Doc has been a great locker room coach for the team.  This season could have very easily imploded due to egos, personalities, internal competition and divisiveness, and it didn't. 

All the negativity in this town sucks. It sucks, and it stinks, and it sucks. - Rick Pitino

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Re: Ray Allen has OCD (literally)
« Reply #2 on: April 20, 2008, 01:10:01 PM »

Offline celticmaestro

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this is a great article. truly good read. hadn't come across this so thanks for posting.

Re: Ray Allen has OCD (literally)
« Reply #3 on: April 20, 2008, 01:24:21 PM »

Offline AllabouttheGREEN

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Superb article, thanks very much for highlighting it!  Probably, the best individual piece I've read so far this season.  Great work for sure...


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Re: Ray Allen has OCD (literally)
« Reply #4 on: April 20, 2008, 01:25:49 PM »

Offline jay_jay54

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Very good article RH...i grew up with a kid who had similar traits,(not as intense),but we didn't know what to figure,or how to deal with him.Everytime we were around him,you had to walk on pins/needles.After being around him a few years,you had to develop your own routines of how to deal with him,in order to get alone.

Re: Ray Allen has OCD (literally)
« Reply #5 on: April 20, 2008, 01:27:37 PM »

Offline guava_wrench

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Best quote:

Quote
Everyone wishes they could shoot like Ray. They tell him that all the time. They are envious, they say, of his God-given talent.

"An insult," says Allen. "God could care less whether I can shoot a jump shot."

That's great. Kinda like the new Jordan commercial.

Re: Ray Allen has OCD (literally)
« Reply #6 on: April 20, 2008, 01:33:59 PM »

Offline NicaraguanFan

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Excellent article Hobbs... I love Allen even more....

NF.
#18 is coming...

Re: Ray Allen has OCD (literally)
« Reply #7 on: April 20, 2008, 01:36:01 PM »

Offline Jughead

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Good Stuff Roy, but somebody should tell Ray that it's not borderline OCD, he's got the real deal.  Rondo's excessive hand washing and germophobia could be an indication of the same.  However, let them get treatment when their careers are over ;)

Re: Ray Allen has OCD (literally)
« Reply #8 on: April 20, 2008, 01:55:55 PM »

Offline jaketwice

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I read that article and I was just thinking: how can we NOT win the championship?

We are just going to railroad the competition.

Re: Ray Allen has OCD (literally)
« Reply #9 on: April 20, 2008, 02:23:42 PM »

Offline fairweatherfan06

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Best quote:

Quote
Everyone wishes they could shoot like Ray. They tell him that all the time. They are envious, they say, of his God-given talent.

"An insult," says Allen. "God could care less whether I can shoot a jump shot."

That's great. Kinda like the new Jordan commercial.

The great shooting stroke came because of Ray's OCD (which was exacerbated by the amount of practice his dad made him go through)in high school he excelled because of superior athleticism.  But his shot developed over many nights well after midnight of taking shots over and over again on the court in the 5000 area (the military housing on Shaw AFB, SC)  Great article though.

Re: Ray Allen has OCD (literally)
« Reply #10 on: April 20, 2008, 02:28:01 PM »

Offline guava_wrench

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Best quote:

Quote
Everyone wishes they could shoot like Ray. They tell him that all the time. They are envious, they say, of his God-given talent.

"An insult," says Allen. "God could care less whether I can shoot a jump shot."

That's great. Kinda like the new Jordan commercial.

The great shooting stroke came because of Ray's OCD (which was exacerbated by the amount of practice his dad made him go through)in high school he excelled because of superior athleticism.  But his shot developed over many nights well after midnight of taking shots over and over again on the court in the 5000 area (the military housing on Shaw AFB, SC)  Great article though.
I thought his dad was in prison.

;)

Those unfamiliar with the reference will probably "correct" me.

Re: Ray Allen has OCD (literally)
« Reply #11 on: April 20, 2008, 02:34:09 PM »

Offline fan33

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Nice find, Roy!

You know, I've often thought about some of this; The psychological make-up of certain very driven, highest achieving atheletes, of course due to my own mindset; Which when on a court(in the day and at my apex), it all really did seem to be an altered state of consciousness, that "zone" for lack of a better word. Although everything was moving and fluid it did seem to be slowed down and easy to see it all, passing lanes before they came open, a feel for the ball on interceptions, ungodly shooting, creative passes, all without a conscious thought, a very real sense of an altered state of mind. An altered state of consciousness; Quite addictive too!

*gets up off the couch*  ;)
« Last Edit: April 20, 2008, 02:40:18 PM by fan33 »
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Re: Ray Allen has OCD (literally)
« Reply #12 on: April 20, 2008, 03:54:33 PM »

Offline Kwhit10

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Thanks  for posting that article, a great read indeed.

Re: Ray Allen has OCD (literally)
« Reply #13 on: April 20, 2008, 04:05:34 PM »

Offline Steve Weinman

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This morning's Globe has a very fascinating article by Jackie MacMullan, looking at Ray Allen's routines / rituals, and how they fit into a team concept.  For anybody who wants a behind-the-scenes look at the Celtics, this is a must read.

Some excerpts (but again, read the whole thing):

Quote
"I had a borderline case of OCD [obsessive compulsive disorder]," Allen explains. "I was never diagnosed, but it was something I was aware of."

This is how Ray Allen's mind works. If there is a speck of paper on the floor in his house, he cannot walk by without picking it up. He has tried. He has purposely marched up the stairs without correcting the glaring imperfection, but he's unable to eliminate the image from his mind until he goes back down, throws the scrap in the wastebasket, and restores order in his home.

He requires the same symmetry in his basketball universe. That's why, when Paul Pierce suddenly began doing 360 dunks in warm-ups earlier this season, Allen demanded an explanation.

"We were winning," Allen says. "Why would he change it up when we were winning?"

Quote
It was inevitable that [the] approaches [of Ray, Pierce, and KG] would collide. In early December, Garnett was at his locker, alone, silently visualizing his responsibilities for the game. Allen, who had long ago completed his pregame tasks, was joking with Kendrick Perkins and Rajon Rondo. The noise interrupted Garnett's concentration. He barked his objections; his veteran teammate barked back.

"They got into it with each other," reports Rondo. "Me and Perk were sitting there going, 'Whoa, what's this about?' "

"Stuff like that happens on teams all the time," Pierce insists. "Different personalities. But Ray's to blame. He's crazy. One night he gets on the plane and says, 'Paul, you're in the wrong seat.' I told him, 'Man, there's a hundred seats open. Leave me alone.' "

Quote
Ray's obsession with routine has struck a chord with Rondo, who confesses, "I probably have OCD myself." The point guard must wash his hands twice at the nine-minute mark of every game. When teammates and fans high-five him, he offers a closed fist to ward off germs.

Quote
He talks to Perkins and Glen Davis about their social life. Allen doesn't drink alcohol. He reminds the young big men, "You have all summer to go out. Do it then. Not now. Not with so much at stake."

Quote
The Celtics have asked Ray Allen to reinvent himself this season. He plays fewer minutes, takes fewer shots, is no longer the focal point of the offense.

"You see him sacrifice," says Perkins, "and you think, 'If he can do it, then I can do it, too.' "

Those changes were palatable for Ray. But he blanched when Rivers changed the team shootaround from the morning of the game to three hours before the game. And when Davis's minutes dwindled, and the coaches asked him to put in workouts before and after games, that cut into Allen's alone time on the floor.

"The last time I talked to Ray, he was ticked at Big Baby for not playing better, because he was messing up his pregame," Calhoun says. "I said to Ray, 'You've been in this league 12 years. Don't you have this down by now?' "

Great stuff by Jackie. 

Excellent, excellent find, RH.  Really loved the piece -- although as one of his biggest boosters, I can't support any chastising of Eddie House.  Ever  ;D  Beautifully done, Jackie.

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Re: Ray Allen has OCD (literally)
« Reply #14 on: April 20, 2008, 04:33:41 PM »

Offline Bahku

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Really great article ... nice find, RH! (TP) I must admit I have OCD as well, and though it is now discussed openly, and treated quite effectively with medication, it's something that always follows like a shadow, and something that can be very destructive if not recognized and dealt with on many levels.

I'm sure some remember Mahmoud Abdul Raouf, (who had Turrets Syndrome), who was an amazing shooter. He almost always had to arrive 2 hours earlier than everyone else for games and practice, (and stay later), in order to allow for the overflow of symptoms. That very often included seemingly endless shooting practice, or taking a half-hour to tie his shoes, as he had to repeat actions until they "felt" right.

OCD has some very similar pathology and origins as Turrets, and it manifests itself in very much the same way, although very often to lesser extremes. KG has some strong tendencies toward OCD as well, and it wouldn't surprise me at all if it was much wider spread in professional sports than is recognized. That said, it makes a lot of sense knowing this about Ray, as it explains much of his behavior and "reserved" personality.

I think discussing this kind of thing can only be beneficial, and more prominent people speaking out and admitting to such problems is a great tool in addressing a problem that has always been kept quiet to some extent. Thanks for posting this important issue, Roy, nice to see people react so positively to it!
« Last Edit: April 20, 2008, 07:08:28 PM by Bahku »
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