LAS VEGAS – Ray Allen is one of the last players an opponent wants to see with the ball behind the arc. The Celtics guard, however, has faced his own challenges stopping sharpshooters over his career.

For Allen, Dell Curry was one of the toughest offensive weapons to contain. Now his son, Golden State Warriors rookie Stephen, is hoping to follow in the footsteps of both Allen and his father.

“He was like my favorite player for a year when my dad was playing in Milwaukee,” Curry told WEEI.com at the Las Vegas Summer League.

Dell and Allen were teammates on the 1999 Milwaukee Bucks. Allen was the Bucks leader in three-point shots made while Dell led the team — and the league — in three-point percentage.

Years later Stephen, the seventh overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, has studied Allen’s game enough to incorporate some of his strengths into his own repertoire. He is averaging nearly 20 points in his first four Summer League games.

“[I like] the way he moves without the ball and how quick his release is,” Stephen said. “Him and my dad kind of competed for that quickest release title. He was always moving around and a bigger guy was right there and he’d get his shot off.”

Just as Stephen admired Allen as a child, he appreciates the compliments Allen has paid toward his father.

“That’s pretty cool,” he said. “He’s going to be a Hall of Famer, and for a guy to give that kind of compliment to my dad is special. Hopefully, down the road, people he will analyze the NBA and put me in that category.”

2 Comments for “Allen’s compliments make an impression on Curry”

1. dowdy09 Says:
   July 16th, 2009 at 7:45 am

   Forget about his endless motor, ability to get to spots, and his quick release. Emulate his professionalism on and off the floor. If every player carried themselves like Ray Allen, the NBA wouldn’t have had such a bad reputation through the late 90’s and the beginning of this decade.

2. Heimuheimu Says:
   July 16th, 2009 at 11:36 pm

   I cannot agree with dowdy09 more and I think this is one of the best comments/ideas about him. Ray Allen is such a great guy wheverever he showed up. Btw, happy birthday for the coming days and wish him to be his best age forever ;P.

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