"As a token of appreciation for giving the Sarah Greenwood elementary school in Dorchester a $30,000 computer lab, Boston Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Carol Johnson grabbed a Bruins championship T-shirt and handed it to Ray Allen yesterday.

The Celtics guard smiled and pretended he could wear the shirt, even though it was clearly a size too small. Maybe two sizes.

But while the city was celebrating the return of the Stanley Cup after 39 years, Allen was thinking about how the Celtics season ended — with a loss to the Heat in the second round of the playoffs.

"As much as I was happy for them, there was a bit of anger that I had,'' Allen said. "As an athlete, that's something we always shoot for, reaching that height.

"I'm extremely happy for them for what they've done for Boston. When you see it from the other side, you see how much bigger it is than just yourself. You see how many people are rooting for you.

"Sometimes when we're on our own little path, our own little journey, we forget the intensity of the moment. No matter how egotistical we may be or how insular we may be, these moments are so much bigger than us.''"