February 10 2011 Last updated at 08:59 PM ET
Ray Allen came into Thursday night's game against the Lakers needing just one three-pointer to tie Reggie Miller's all-time NBA record, and two to break it. For a shooter of Allen's legendary prowess, the question wasn't if he'd break the record tonight, but when. And he didn't keep us waiting long for the answer.
With 4:13 remaining in the first quarter, Allen drained a contested three-pointer from the right wing to tie the record, after a pass from Kevin Garnett and a late defensive rotation from the Lakers' Derek Fisher. He tried again from long range on his team's very next possession, this time from the left side, but the shot rimmed out -- much to the dismay of the crowd on its feet waiting to explode.
Allen came through not long after that, however, hitting the record-breaking 2,651st three of his career from nearly the same spot where he tied the record just a few minutes earlier. It came in transition after a perfect pass from Rajon Rondo with 1:47 remaining in the first quarter. Allen received handshakes and hugs from Miller, who was in the house and sitting courtside as part of TNT's broadcast team.
"It just shows you, when people ask me, 'you've got to be a little bit upset or bitter?' Why? First of all, all records are made to be broken," Miller said when it happened. "I had a conversation with Ray earlier tonight and he was like, 'when I was a rookie and I came to Market Square Arena and I saw you for three, three and a half hours before (the game) shooting, that's how I wanted to patent my game.'
"I'm just so happy for him because this is one of the best guys. He's so humble, he's so giving, he's a great family man and I'm excited. This is great. This is great for the game of basketball. You know why? We're focusing and talking about shooting, Steve. You know how many hours (we went) and we had keys to the gym, we'd go early. No one talks about shooting anymore."
It wasn't only the three-point shot that went Allen's way in the first quarter. He finished the period as the game's leading scorer, with 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting, including 2-of-5 from downtown, leading his Celtics to a 27-20 lead after one.
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