Getty Rajon Rondo #9 and Ray Allen #20 of the Boston Celtics.
Glen Davis played for the Boston Celtics from 2007 to 2011. In that time, he was teammates with Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen for four out of the five years those two played together in Boston. Rondo’s and Allen’s feud with each other was well-publicized when the two played together, so Davis himself was a witness to that firsthand. In an interview with VladTV, Davis detailed what fueled the conflict between the two of them.
“Ray was supposedly wanting Chris Paul in a trade. That was after we won it. Rondo didn’t like that. Then sometimes Ray, on defense, would suck ass, and Doc wouldn’t say s***. Doc would say, ‘Rondo, you’re f***ing up! Chauncey Billups is killing you!’ and Rondo’s like, ‘Chauncey Billups ain’t f***ing scored this f***ing series! It’s Rip Hamilton that’s f***ing busting our ass!’”
To settle their differences, the two of them would box in a ring. While Allen approached their fights like a boxer, Rondo would swing for Allen’s head, according to Davis.
“They had beef, so they boxed it out,” Davis said. “They put on gloves and really like threw hands. I watched it. You could just tell Rondo was trying to knock his head off… Ray was jabbing.”
Davis also confirmed that the organization outside of the players who were there didn’t know that the boxing match between them had happened.
Even though there was reportedly bad blood between the two, it didn’t get in the way of the Celtics’ success during their years sharing the backcourt. In the five years they played together, the Celtics won a title, made the NBA Finals twice, made the Eastern Conference Finals three times, and made the NBA playoffs every year.
Davis may have vivid memories of those two duking it out in the ring, but he also has fond memories of playing for the Celtics.
Davis Reflected on Winning 2008 Title
Davis was in his first year in the NBA when the Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Lakers to win their first title since 1986. 14 years later, Davis remembers the experience all too well, talking about how great it was for him while acknowledging that he didn’t comprehend how important the moment was then as he does now.
“It was great, man. It was an epic series because you got the new era of the Big Three. The Lakers, the Celtics, that whole tradition right there. Then our journey through the playoffs was just amazing. We played Atlanta tough, we played Cleveland tough. It was just a great series… then coming to the Laker game for the finals was just like the mega joint. At the time, I really didn’t understand, as I do now, how important that moment was. It was a great experience. I had a great time whooping the Lakers ass.”
Davis also reflected on what it was like to play against NBA legend Kobe Bryant on the league’s biggest stage.
“That was crazy. It was just crazy to watch him play. Like, the motherf***er spoke Spanish, Italian,” Davis said. “You see his passion for the game and his work ethic. Kobe was just amazing to watch.”
Davis played in 17 of Boston’s 26 playoff games in 2008. In those 17 games, Davis played eight minutes a game while averaging 2.3 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 0.4 assists. While he may not have played much then, he was much more heavily involved in their playoff rotation the following season.
Davis Reflected on his Playoff Buzzer-Beater
Because Kevin Garnett was out with a knee injury, Glen Davis filled in as Boston’s starting power forward during the 2009 playoffs. During that run, Davis averaged 15.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 14 games. The highlight of Davis’ playoff run was when he hit a buzzer-beater against the Orlando Magic during the 2009 Eastern Conference Semifinals to tie the series at 2-2.
Davis went into detail on what transpired both during and after that moment during his interview with VladTV.
“It was a play for Ray, and Paul (Pierce) the second option. I end up getting the ball because Dwight (Howard) ended up double-teaming Paul because he knew Paul was taking the last shot. So he went and double-teamed Paul, leaving me wide open. I hit that motherf***er.”
After hitting the shot, Davis, in his own words, unintentionally pushed a Magic fan out of the way as he ran to the Celtics bench to celebrate the last-second victory.
“I’m like bagging out and trying to run back, and there’s a kid in the way,” Davis said. “I just kind of pushed him. It’s what he paid for. You paid for that. That’s the kind of experience. It was a game-winning shot, like, great seats, kid, you were right in the middle of it. I didn’t intentionally try to push him.”
Davis stresses that the though incident was unintentional, he had to give the young Magic fan an apology afterward.
“They did make me apologize. Wasn’t that crazy? The NBA like, called (and said), ‘You have to apologize to the kid.’ Swear to God… Damn near felt like I was going to get fined! I think the dad was so mad. He must have raged because he was a season-ticket holder.”
Davis was later traded to the Magic two years later for Brandon Bass.