You Play to Win the Game

Ray Allen became the NBA's all-time three point leader Thursday night, but the Celtics lost to the Lakers 92-86.

Some records in sports are just so untouchable that they may never be broken.

Joe DiMaggio's 56 game hit streak. Cal Ripken's 2,632 consecutive games played streak. Cy Young's 511 career wins. Wayne Gretzky's 2,857 career points. Tom Brady's 50 touchdown passes in a single season.

And now we can add Ray Allen's 2,561 (and counting) career three point field goals to the list.

For weeks now, the hype surrounding Allen's historic pursuit of greatness has grown exponentially. Comcast Sports New England quickly coined the phrase "Ray for the Record," and reminded us all exactly where Allen stood each day. We patiently watched each and every game this season, counting down together in collective unison as Mike and Tommy called every three pointer Allen sank with updated emphasis. We wanted it so badly for Ray than it began to consume us.

So, with Ray just two treys shy of breaking Reggie Miller's long standing all-time mark of 2,560, Thursday night's showdown with the Lakers was all about Ray. And for good reason. He was on the verge of setting one of the NBA's greatest all-time records.

"When I ran out on the floor, and saw all the signs, and all the people....this record, I just didn't really understand until that moment just how big it was," Allen admitted in his postgame press conference

Before tip-off, the Garden was electric. It felt like a playoff-type atmosphere. Everytime Ray touched the ball the 18,624 strong held their collective breath, awaiting history. And then, with less than two minutes remaining in the first quarter, Ray hit his second three of the game, becoming the NBA's all-time three point champion.

"That second 3, almost, it seemed like it was slow motion for me, 'cause I've seen the whole thing develop," said Allen. "Where the ball kind of comes so slow, like somebody is almost slow motioning it on TV. That's exactly how it felt, becuase the minute we got the stop and Rondo got the ball...In my mind it just started, and I just said to myself, 'this is it.'"

In a show of respect to the man who held the crown before him, Allen quickly sprinted to the scorers' table and embraced Miller, who was working the game for TNT.

The Celtics were cruising, up by as much as 15 points. We were on a thrilling high. We had just witnessed history.

Then a funny thing happened. Once Ray broke the record, it was like the air was let out of the building. The Lakers took it to our banged-up Celts and ended up spoiling Ray's night, defeating Boston 92-86.

Suddenly, it dawned on us that leading up to the game, there was no mention about the epic Celtics/Lakers rivalry. There was no focus on how important the game was for both teams in terms of securing home-court advantage come playoff time. And certainly no mention of the fact that it was a pivotal NBA Finals rematch. Beating the Lakers became an afterthought.

We were so caught up in rooting for an individual to cement his immortality in the record books that we lost sight of the bigger picture.

In the end, it's not about stats. Yeah, numbers are great. But the purpose of sports isn't to achieve individual accolades. It's all about winning. Just ask Dan Marino. He put up some of the gaudiest numbers of all time but would gladly trade all those yards and touchdowns in a heartbeat just for one Super Bowl ring. Same for John Stockton. And, most recently, Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. Yes, they were awarded the MVP and Coach of the Year in 2010 but because the Pats lost to the Jets in the first round of the playoffs, the awards mean nothing. Ask them both and they'll tell you the same thing.

During the 2008 championship run, the Celtics rallying cry was "ubuntu." It symbolized togetherness, unselfishness and sacrifice. Everytime they broke the huddle, they screamed it in unison. It united everyone in one common goal: to raise Banner 17.

Congratulations, Ray. No one works harder perfecting their craft than you. And no one is more deserving of such a historic record than you.

But, Celtics fans, let's keep in mind that no one player is bigger than the game. Sure, three point records are nice. But they won't help us raise Banner 18 in June.

Only wins will. And a little more ubuntu.