C's Allen on D&C: 'I don't get tired now'

Veteran guard Ray Allen joined Dennis & Callahan from Celtics training camp in an interview that aired Friday morning.

Allen is well known for his incredible fitness. At age 36, he said he doesn't feel like one of the league's elder players.

"I don't feel older," he said. "The only time I feel older is based on outside pressure from the younger guys that come in the organization. You see guys that are 22 years old coming in and they have so much energy. It's interesting when they say they're tired. Because I don't get tired now. You just know how to manage your body, prepare, get in the gym early enough so you can be ready for practice. When I was younger, I never had to do that. They're there now, but I'm trying to get them to where they start understanding how to prepare."

Looking at the changes to the Celtics this season -- mainly to the bench -- Allen said there are a couple of players who can make a big impact.

"The questions that we had coming into '07-08 were how well we could get together as a starting unit," he said. "The guys around helped us get to the point where we needed to be, that we could be a great team and we could have great chemistry. We don't really question who we are as a starting unit. You know what you're going to get out of Paul [Pierce], [Rajon] Rondo, myself and Kevin [Garnett]. We just have to make sure we sustain that and stay healthy. At the same time, we've got to make sure that we bring the guys along with us that are new to the fold.

"Each one of those guys brings their own bit of fascination to this mix. You take Keyon Dooling. I think since I've been here, we've never really had a solid, solid backup point guard that could really run our second unit, and Doc [Rivers] didn't have to worry about when Rondo came out of the game if we lost control of the game as much. Keyon is a guy that we've all played against, and he gave us such tremendous fits on other teams because he knew how to run a team.

"And then we've got athleticism with Chris Wilcox. I played with him in Seattle. He was a huge threat, because he can run the floor like a gazelle and he can play above the rim as well. So, we have guys on this roster that can help. I look forward to it. And I don't think it will take that much of an adjustment period."

Following are more highlights from the conversation.

On his NBA future: "When I decide to stop playing, it won't be because of me. I think it will be more because of my circumstances. … Obviously, for one, if I'm not here anymore, that's a huge deterrent. You end up having to play somewhere that's not to the standards of where I've been in here for these last four or five years. Physically, I'm in a great place. So, I don't worry about that at all. But again, there's so many unforeseen circumstances that can take place that can cause me to say it's time for me to hang it up."

On re-signing with the Celtics when his contract expires after this season: "Am I thinking about it? Yeah, of course I'm thinking about it. I don't need or want to go anywhere. But we've got to get the rally hats going so we can sign that new deal. That's a Danny Ainge question. But of course I'd love to continue to be here."

On running the Boston Marathon: "There was a point where throughout these last couple of months they said the season was in jeopardy. I said, well, if the season's in jeopardy, then I'll run the Boston Marathon. I'll just train all winter long. I'll run some small [races]. I'll go to Florida and try and run some 5 and 10Ks, a half-marathon, and build up to the Boston Marathon. Because my wife did it and my mom did it. So, I can't even take that claim of saying that I'm the best runner in the house anymore because they ran the marathon. I feel like I'm behind, so I've got to do it at some point."

To hear the interview, go to the Dennis & Callahan audio on demand page. For more Celtics news, visit the team page at weei.com/celtics.