Game Links: Raptors 64, Celtics 100

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Pregame – A Little Super Bowl Talk

There wasn’t much news breaking during tonight’s pregame media availability. As Doc Rivers said, “Everyone who was available last night is available tonight.”

With that being said, let’s give you a little football note as we inch closer to Super Bowl Sunday this weekend.

If you’ve ever been wondering which NFL team Ray Allen follows and loves, wonder no longer. He is a die-hard New England Patriots fan. He told us tonight that he has been a Patriots fan for nearly 20 years now, dating all the way back to his arrival at UConn.

Allen said that due to him growing up all over the country and world, he was never able to attach himself to a hometown team. When he moved to Connecticut, though, that all changed. As you can imagine, he met people from Massachusetts all the time, and those fans helped sway him in the Patriots’ direction.

Now, nearly 20 years later, his fandom is at an all-time high. As he alluded to this evening, he has an attachment to the team and this city that most fans can relate to.

“You have that sense of pride when [the Patriots] win,” he said.

Regarding Sunday’s festivities, Allen said he plans to have some folks over, including some teammates. He loves to play the role of host and said he’d certainly invite his teammates over for some bonding time during the game.

You could head over to Allen’s place for some bonding time, too, but you might run into one small problem.

“My door’s always open. You just have to get through the gates first,” he said with a smile.

Doc Rivers actually wishes that the C’s wouldn’t have any time to watch the game Sunday night. He said he would prefer Boston’s game on Sunday to be at night, rather than noon, because that would allow him to hold a legitimate practice session on Sunday. Practice has been a rarity for every team in the league during this condensed season, and when games are scheduled at tough times like noon, it prevents them from getting on the court to work on their skills.

Rivers did acknowledge that if his team did play Sunday night, it might not be a very successful game.

“Obviously, I don’t think anyone would watch or come,” he said while laughing, “but it would be nice for us.”