y would be Kirkland wonders if that could lead to less crowd noise than usual.EVANS ENCORE: Trinity Valley (Texas) Community College transfer Jerod Evans threw four touchdown passes wi

Ray Allen announced his retirement from the NBA on Tuesday, writing that he is completely at peace with himself after a record-setting 18-year career during which he established himself as one of the best shooters in basketball history.Allen, 41, has not played in the NBA since the 2013-14 season, when he was with the Heat. He had been linked with multiple teams over the last two years and recently considered making a comeback with the Warriors and Cavaliers, league sources told ESPN.As part of a letter to my younger self posted Tuesday on The Players Tribune, Allen wrote, I write this to you today as a 41-year-old man who is retiring from the game.Allen was a 10-time All-Star over a career spent with four teams -- the Heat, Celtics, SuperSonics and Bucks. He won two NBA championships -- one with Boston in 2008, the other with Miami in 2013 -- and is the leagues all-time leader with 2,973 career 3-pointers made, 413 more than anyone else to date.In his post, Allen praised former teammates LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce.The men who you are going to win championships with are all going to be very different people, he wrote. What makes them champions is the boring old habits that nobody sees. They compete to see who can be the first to get to the gym and the last to leave.Allen averaged 18.9 points per game in 1,300 regular-season contests and shot 89.4 percent from the free-throw line, the seventh-best percentage in league history.When you start getting some national attention in high school, youll hear things like, Rays jump shot is God-given, Allen wrote. Listen: God doesnt care whether you make your next jump shot.God will give you a lot of things in life, but hes not going to give you your jump shot. Only hard work will do that.Allen is the last member of the Celtics famed Big Three to announce retirement plans this year.Garnett, 40, retired on Sept. 23 after a 21-year NBA career. Pierce, 39, announced three days later that he would retire after playing this season with the L.A. Clippers.Celtics general manager Danny Ainge issued a statement, saying: As one of the greatest shooting guards in the history of basketball, Ray Allen defined the word professionalism. Ray was born with special talent, but it was his leadership, tireless preparation, and infectious work ethic that made him a great teammate and champion. We would not have won the 2008 title without him.Teammates and coaches raved about Allens famed work ethic and commitment to fitness -- which now takes a different form, after he and his wife, Shannon, recently opened an organic fast-casual restaurant in Miami. Allen was almost always on the floor for a workout three hours before games, shooting on some occasions before the arena lights were even turned on.Wade said Tuesday that Allen inspired him.I learned so much from Ray towards the end of his career, how he took care of his body, longevity and what it takes mentally and physically, he said. [He had] a Hall of Fame career, man.He added: He pushed us to do things differently. He pushed us to take our bodies a different way. He talked to us about eating a different way and all kinds of stuff, man. So Ray was obviously an unbelievable basketball player but I think a lot of us are going to remember the person and what he meant to our team.Allen had the record for 3-pointers in a season for seven years, his mark of 269 standing until Stephen Curry made 272 in 2012-13 -- a record Curry has topped twice.Allens record of 2,973 3-pointers made in regular-season games doesnt even count the one that was his most unforgettable.His 3-pointer from the right corner with 5.2 seconds left in Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals for Miami sent the Heat to overtime against the Spurs in a win-or-else game, and helped them go on to win the title in seven games. Chris Bosh got an offensive rebound and passed to Allen, who was backtracking toward the corner.Allen, without even needing to look down to ensure that he was behind the line, elevated over Tony Parker and connected to tie the game -- even as arena workers kneeled around the court, holding the rope that they presumed they would soon be called upon to cordon things off for the Spurs championship celebration.On his way back to the bench to prepare for overtime, Allen gestured to those workers, shouting to put the rope away.It was just perfect, Wade said. No one else could hit that shot on our team but Ray, the way that it happened. Its crazy because he practiced it all the time. Ray has a drill where he sits on his butt, and he gets up and he backpedals back to the the 3-[point line] and he makes it. Thats one of the drills he does in the morning. So you look at that, you look at how he had to backpedal back to the 3-point line and get it off with defenders all on him. He practiced that over and over. I know coaches say all the time but remember that whole practice makes perfect [motto]? That was a moment where practice really makes perfect and we got a championship because of it.Allen, who played for UConn from 1993 to 1996, also starred in the 1998 Spike Lee film He Got Game, portraying Jesus Shuttlesworth, a top-ranked basketball prospect whose father (played by Denzel Washington) is in prison for killing his wife.Basketball will take you far away from that school yard, Allen wrote. You will become far more than just a basketball player. Youll get to act in movies. Youll travel the world. You will become a husband, and the father of five amazing children.The Associated Press contributed to this report. New Orleans Saints Gear . -- Eastern Kentucky thrives off creating havoc for others. New Orleans Saints Store .J. -- New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz will miss the rest of the season after having surgery on his left knee. https://www.saintsjerseyssale.com/ . Kuznetsov, who was selected by the Capitals in the first round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, has been playing for his hometown team Chelyabinsk Traktor of the KHL. Stitched Saints Jerseys . Klitschkos management company says the bout will be the Ukrainian fighters 25th world championship fight. The 1.83-meter (6-foot) Leapai defeated the previously unbeaten Denis Boytsov in November to become the WBOs mandatory challenger. Fake Saints Jerseys . As he recorded his 23rd and 24th points of the evening, a segment of the sellout Air Canada Centre crowd expressed their appreciation for the Raptors point guard with a smattering of MVP chants. Nobody knows quite what to expect when an anticipated record crowd settles in Saturday for No. 17 Tennessees showdown against Virginia Tech at Bristol Motor Speedway, which has been temporarily converted into a football stadium.Tennessee linebacker Darrin Kirkland Jr. acknowledges that its going to be different playing in this setting.In my head, its kind of hard to envision, Kirkland said. Im definitely excited for the experience. Its kind of once in a lifetime.The uncertainty extends to the game itself.Tennessee is an 11 +-point favorite but had to erase a 10-point halftime deficit to edge Appalachian State 20-13 in overtime last week. Virginia Tech won its opener 36-13 over Liberty to usher in Justin Fuentes coaching tenure while unveiling an up-tempo offense that bore little resemblance to predecessor Frank Beamers run-oriented attacks.Appalachian States near-upset of Tennessee has created doubt about whether the Volunteers are as good as their preseason top-10 ranking. Virginia Tech still must show that its offense can have similar success against tougher competition than Liberty.The only thing the players are sure of is that the unusual environment should create a memorable moment.More than 150,000 fans are expected to pack the speedway for a matchup billed as the Battle at Bristol. That would shatter the NCAA single-game record of 115,109 set in 2013 at Michigan Stadium for a Michigan victory over Notre Dame.Both teams have emphasized the importance of maintaining focused and not getting distracted by the atmosphere at Bristol, Tennessee, located roughly halfway between the two schools.Its going to be an awesome experience, Virginia Tech running back Sam Rogers said. I cant wait to get out there. Obviously its being hyped up as the biggest college football game in history, but ... weve just got to take it just like any other game. I feel like we wouldnt be a good team if we prepared differently for different games.---Here are some things to watch when Tennessee faces Virginia Tech at the Bristol Motor Speedway.UNUSUAL ENVIRONMENT: The sheer size of Bristol Motor Speedway means that assistant coaches working from the box will be much farther away from the field than usual. Both of Tennessees ccoordinators and Virginia Tech offensive coordinator Brad Cornelsen typically work from the box, while Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster roams the sidelines.dddddddddddd I dont think (working) from the press box is going to be a problem, Tennessee defensive coordinator Bob Shoop said. Its not necessarily the width from the field, its the length in the end-zone seats, I think thats going to be the major issue. If I were calling a game from the end zone and the ball were on the other side of the field, that would be a disaster, but where were going to be sitting, I think its not going to be any problem at all. With most of the fans also farther away from the field than they normally would be Kirkland wonders if that could lead to less crowd noise than usual.EVANS ENCORE: Trinity Valley (Texas) Community College transfer Jerod Evans threw four touchdown passes without an interception in his Virginia Tech debut. Evans faces a much tougher test Saturday in his first game against a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent.WILL DOBBS BOUNCE BACK?: Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs was held to negative rushing yards last week took a punishing shot to the chest in overtime while reaching for the goal line, a play that led to teammate Jalen Hurds fumble recovery in the end zone. Dobbs says hes feeling fine and will be ready to go Saturday, and Tennessee coach Butch Jones says the senior quarterback is 100 percent healthy.REEVES-MAYBINS RETURN: Tennessee linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin is back to lead the Vols defense Saturday after getting ejected from the Appalachian State game in the first quarter due to a targeting penalty. Reeves-Maybin topped Tennessee in tackles last season and tied for the team lead in 2014.FUMBLING CONCERNS: Both teams must take better care of the ball. Virginia Tech had five fumbles against Liberty and lost four of them. Tennessee fumbled four times against Appalachian State, though the Vols only lost one.---AP Sports Writer Hank Kurz Jr. in Blacksburg, Virginia, contributed to this report.---AP College Football website: www.collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '