For Allen, 3-pointer record was all about preparation

Seattle sports fans love to hate the NBA and Clay Bennett and any other entity that did them wrong when the Sonics left town.

Ray Allen

But they are nearly unanimous in their love for Ray Allen.

Jackie MacMullan at ESPN.com has a great profile of Allen, who on Thursday night broke Reggie Miller's NBA record of 2,560 3-pointers made.

The theme? Preparation. And a touch of obsessive-compulsive disorder.

MacMullan writes that Allen has been preparing to break Miller's record for his entire career:

There were the obvious tasks of shooting thousands of shots from each spot behind the arc so that any attempt from any angle would feel familiar, rote, routine. The more subtle groundwork centered on a regimented diet, a controlled sleeping pattern, an increased emphasis on his rigid conditioning habits to strengthen his core and challenge his body.

These provisions are the flip side of remarks from people such as former NBA player (and ESPN NBA analyst) Mark Jackson, a bosom buddy of Miller's, who recently declared Allen was born with the gift of a shooting touch.

"I've argued this with a lot of people in my life,'' Allen said. "When people say God blessed me with a beautiful jump shot, it really pisses me off. I tell those people, 'Don't undermine the work I've put in every day.' Not some days. Every day. Ask anyone who has been on a team with me who shoots the most. Go back to Seattle and Milwaukee, and ask them. The answer is me -- not because it's a competition but because that's how I prepare."

It's a great feature on a player who touched a lot of lives in Seattle. See the full story here.