One Player, One Three-Pointer
Ray Allen (photo. Jordan Brand)Discounting Candace Parker and ignoring Rick Kamla’s disturbing overuse of the word “sexy,” few things in basketball inspire grown men to confidently throw around terms like “pretty” and “beautiful” more than a textbook jumper.
To that end, Ray Allen’s J is like Tyra Banks: No matter the circumstance, through thick and thin, even if slightly past her prime, she still looks good from any angle. As far as NBA players whose shot looks like it’s going in every single time they release it, only Michael Redd can compete with Ray (with young’uns Daniel Gibson and Eric Gordon knocking on the door).
But this isn’t about aesthetics and pretty pictures. While Ray’s shot mechanics are close to perfect and numbingly consistent, he’s my pick to knock down one three-pointer with everything on the line because he gets the job done. He’s second on the League’s all-time list for threes made behind Reggie Miller, about 700 treys up on his nearest active competitor (Peja). For his career Ray is a 39% shooter beyond the arc, 34th all-time, and the only active guy in the Top-50 with a championship ring and current or recently former status as the top option on his team.
Not to mention Ray is playing at an All-Star level this year, at an age and stage in his career when it would be natural for him to start declining. Through Sunday he was the C’s leading scorer at 18.9 points per game, and his 58 threes placed him third in the League. During Boston’s current 14-game win streak, Ray has been the top scorer in seven of those wins. I watched Celtics/Pacers on Dec. 7, when Ray set the tone in the first quarter by running laps around the court and sticking jumpers all over the place, then took over in the fourth quarter and overtime in a 35-point performance that included seven triples. Whether it was pulling up off the dribble, coming around a screen, spotting up from the wing or his favorite spot in the corner — then later using the threat of a three to make room for drives and/or open looks for teammates — Ray dominated the game more than any so-called spot-up shooter should.
Who would you pick to hit one three-pointer with everything on the line?
December 15th, 2008 at 2:41 pm
Blue says:
“To that end, Ray Allen’s J is like Tyra Banks: No matter the circumstance, through thick and thin, even if slightly past her prime, she still looks good from any angle.”
Thank you AB…i don’t know why i hear dudes hatin’ on Tyra lately! she put on a couple and yeah, she had C-Webb up in her, but still…i’d hit it!!!!
does robert horry count…he’s still ‘technically’ in the league.
December 15th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
Ric Hardwood says:
I agree… Jesus is the Man!
December 15th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
K Dizzle says:
What Blue said -
Gimme Ro Horry. Dude might not be hall of fame, but his rings speak volumes. Clutch is doin it when it counts…repeatedly
December 15th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
money says:
if the three was for everything on the line, i’d pick reggie miller, all day, any day. ask any knicks fan.
December 15th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
JCARR says:
“Mr.He got game” is the only option
December 15th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
fallinup says:
Reggie was clutch.
December 15th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
goonther says:
mark price … just cause i’m a cleveland homer ….
in any other instance tho, its gotta be reggie.
December 15th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
CDouble says:
Tim Duncan.
December 15th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
Big V says:
Ray easy.
December 15th, 2008 at 3:11 pm
George W Kush Sr says:
cheap shot bobby does knock ‘em down in the playoffs, gotta give him that.
December 15th, 2008 at 3:11 pm
vinny says:
Ray-all day, and i’m a knick fan-f___ reggie miller
December 15th, 2008 at 3:13 pm
d says:
how does shawn marion not make this list? hahahahhaha
December 15th, 2008 at 3:13 pm
Big North says:
Not hating on Tyra but never been a big fan of the forehead, i’d still hit it though.
Since price was mentioned I gotta give some love to
Larry Legend and Chuck “The riffleman” Pearson (who might still have the best nickname EVER along with Vinnie “The Microwave” Johnson)
December 15th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
m.rob says:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U951kjBs7i8&feature=related
December 15th, 2008 at 3:20 pm
vinny says:
@m.rob- damm nash, marion, bell- they all got 3’s in there face!! and dont forget dennis scott!! that dude could shoot!
December 15th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
weng santos says:
I’d pick Ray to knock it down, too.
But if I can’t get him to do it, we need to pull Reggie from retirement to shoot 1 three for me.
December 15th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
Big Freeze says:
I’m a go with Dirk. Or Joe Johnson. Or Kobe.
December 15th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
PWeezy says:
Ben Gordon is money
December 15th, 2008 at 3:41 pm
TJ says:
what i think is interesting, is that Ray wasnt known as as shooter coming out of college, correct me if im wrong but he was a slasher/scorer type coming out of uconn, then sometime in his 4 or 5th year he developed this deadly 3 point shot, i think he did something that JR Smith would want to pattern his career after.
December 15th, 2008 at 3:42 pm
Kevin K says:
OJ Mayo has the prettiest jump shot in the league.
December 15th, 2008 at 3:45 pm
JCARR says:
Korver’s three is money in the bank
December 15th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
dagwaller says:
Ray Allen. Dirk. Korver. Gilbert.
December 15th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
Ian says:
all time is the easiest pick ever
no horry no allen no bird
REGGIE MILLER
ask jordan and specially ask all knicks fans
in the nba today you guys are all sleeping on someone
HEDO
fuck allen he might have the best form but hedo never misses a game winner at least for the last 2 seasons the man hits everything
December 15th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
Ian says:
btw austin ray doesnt dominate anything
December 15th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
JCARR says:
NBA.com’s Top floppers:
http://www.nba.com/video/channels/nba_tv/2008/12/15/nba_20081215_floppers.nba/index.html?player=nba_tv&subcat=
And the winner is…
December 15th, 2008 at 4:01 pm
Banga says:
In Order
Ray Allen
Dirk
Durant
December 15th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
GEE...pyscopated rhythm says:
K Dizzle I am going to go with you. Give me Horry. I don’t care if he is averaging 30 seconds per game pt. If you need that final shot, most folks already know what it is.
Gil is ill too.
Of course Ray.
Tracy is great as well.
Still Horry fo me.
December 15th, 2008 at 4:06 pm
Detroit Dave says:
Ray Allen is the only guy in the League, other than Kobe, that when I watch him shoot, I think the ball is going in everytime.
December 15th, 2008 at 4:07 pm
Detroit Dave says:
put Chauncey on this list
December 15th, 2008 at 4:15 pm
Hugo says:
I would go to Jerome James …
December 15th, 2008 at 4:45 pm
buck says:
KOBE
December 15th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
Bruce says:
Do not include Peja — I reside in Sacramento. Missed the big shots.
Biggest chokers/artist in yesterday and today game.
Starks, Peja, and C-Webb.
December 15th, 2008 at 5:14 pm
dapro says:
Gotta be Ray with respect to all the other 3 point shooters but Walter Ray Allen has the sweetest J in the League
He can kill you off a screen or off the dribble and pull up for 3 with ease
It’s not easy to hoist a 3 standing still but he makes it look easy
December 15th, 2008 at 5:34 pm
karizmatic says:
I’m sorry Ray might have the best 3 point shot in the game but he is definitely not clutch. I’d pick Paul Pierce to hit the clutch 3 over Ray. Hmm out of everyone in the league? Chauncey Billups, Agent Zero, Kobe, and LBJ is making a strong play with the array of 3 pt buzzer beaters he’s been hitting lately even though he only shoots 27% from 3. There is a difference between great clutch shooter and great 3 point shooter. Ray is a great shooter, but he’s not necessarily clutch, the aforementioned guys will hit them in the clutch.
December 15th, 2008 at 5:37 pm
isotope says:
i agree with karizmatic. Clutch isnt always about accuracy.
December 15th, 2008 at 5:39 pm
Big Sia says:
VC OBVIOUSLY
December 15th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
buck says:
yea, if it was about accuracy, i’d take pat garrity, kapono, or steve novak.
December 15th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
caeubona says:
if this is only about three point shooting, then you gotta take Jesus, no question. His J is one of the most beautiful things to watch in the NBA.
But if we’re talking about clutch, then that’s a little different. I would take Reggie Miller, Kobe Bryant, and even Robert Horry over Ray Allen in that situation.
December 15th, 2008 at 5:53 pm
Lanfeas says:
All time, then I’d go with Reggie. Or Bird.
Right now, Ray Allen. He has the prettiest shot I’ve ever seen. And for those that are saying he isn’t clutch, he’s hit countless buzzer beaters over the years…so don’t know where that’s coming from.
December 15th, 2008 at 6:18 pm
dagwaller says:
Clutch is still the most overrated stat in all of sports. The other night, Manu had to make a few unbelievable plays to keep the Spurs in the lead. On a terrible shooting night. If only he had made those shots earlier in the game, he wouldn’t have been forced into such bad shots!
Seriously, people – points count the same in the first 3 quarters, too. And Ray Allen is the pick, btw – Reggie Miller can GTFOH.
December 15th, 2008 at 6:26 pm
rangerjohn says:
how about bowen from the corner
December 15th, 2008 at 6:29 pm
karizmatic says:
Clutch is the most overrated stat….hmmm…tell that to Michael Jordan.
December 15th, 2008 at 6:30 pm
JCARR says:
Didnt Eddy Curry hit a game winning 3 early last year against the Jazz?
December 15th, 2008 at 6:34 pm
Austin Burton says:
Ray carried those Milwaukee teams where all he had was Sam Cassell and Glenn Robinson (playing the role of an older, fatter ‘Melo) to the brink of the NBA Finals. After slumping the entire playoffs, look at what he did in the Finals. Other than that, he’s had some bad teams around him, and even then I saw him carry some weak Seattle teams as far as they could possible get. That’s clutch enough for me.
December 15th, 2008 at 6:38 pm
karizmatic says:
I feel like if he was truly clutch he would have taken that Milwaukee team to the finals. He couldn’t get past AI…with the team AI had? Now who’s clutch. AI showed up every game and played his heart out. That’s a clutch performance to me. Ray choked. But if you want Ray that’s cool he’s still one of the best 3 pt shooters in the game if you play odds he can make the shot. But I don’t think he’s clutch.
December 15th, 2008 at 6:41 pm
Ian says:
dagwaller
i agree with u but not in all sports
in basketball there is clutch in baseball no i dont buy it instead of that awesome walkoff hit in the first
one thing is sports with time basketball and football than basketball that u have to reach a certain limit for the game to end 27 outs or tennis
December 15th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
Austin Burton says:
A.I. was simply better. That doesn’t mean Ray wasn’t/isn’t clutch. By your logic, Jordan was less clutch than Isiah because Isiah beat him head-to-head more often.
December 15th, 2008 at 7:01 pm
Luigi says:
GILBERT ARENAS!!!!! too much swagg
December 15th, 2008 at 7:11 pm
bendizzle says:
stop boosting michael redd. his shot is sooo ugly…he shoots from behind his head. the nbc guys were on his cock the whole olympics saying hes the best shooter in the world. hes not even the best shooter in the eastern conference, that belongs to mr shuttlesworth and/or jason ‘j-killa’ kapono.
December 15th, 2008 at 7:22 pm
Dagomar says:
With everything on the line?
I’d go with Nash. He’s clutch, he shoots as good from three as anyone – often better – and he can take the ball up the court. Otherwise give me Kobe (overrated in the clutch, but from three when it counts there are few better).
All-time it’s definitely Bird. A distant second is Millertime.
December 15th, 2008 at 7:31 pm
K Dizzle says:
Austin,
did Ray really carry that Bucks team with Big Dog and Sam I Am? Even Tim Thomas played like he cared.
He carried those Seattle teams more recently, but he didn’t carry those Milwaukee squads
December 15th, 2008 at 7:33 pm
CK JESSe says:
WHERE THE FVK IS MJ ON THESE POSTS LOL ..COME ON GUYS no1 remember the shot against the jazz ring a bell?
December 15th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
dagwaller says:
If I were ever lucky enough to talk basketball with Jordan, I would love to ask him which of his 30 points in a game were the most important. I’m sure that he would say that all of them were equally important.
Again, if you think that someone has a “knack for clutch”, and put him up against someone that, say, scores 2 ppg more than he does, but doesn’t have the knack, you would really take the guy with 2 less ppg? Why? The second guy will have already scored his 2 ppg more by the time “clutch” even matters.
As another for instance, if, say, Kobe Bryant had scored 3 more points earlier in the game where Horry had to hit a big shot, then Horry’s shot wouldn’t even matter. Or if Horry was a more complete player, and had scored the 3 points earlier to begin with, he wouldn’t even need to hit a shot like that.
Jordan was “clutch” only in that he scored more points than anyone else, anyway. If the Bulls were down by 2, they were only down by “only 2″ because Jordan is a great SCORER, at any time of the game.
That having been said, Nash is a good bet today, too.
December 15th, 2008 at 9:08 pm
Isaiah says:
Call me in a couple years and I’ll say oj mayo. He’s going to be ridonkulous.
December 15th, 2008 at 10:18 pm
pishenis says:
I would go with Billups or Arenas
December 15th, 2008 at 10:36 pm
wiseman says:
has anyone seen vince carter play the raptors the last couple years now tht clutch
i agreee with the fact tht if u score in the first 3 quarters u dont need the clutch so i think tis overated but if i had to pick someone it would be vc
December 15th, 2008 at 11:16 pm
baron von faulk says:
…except for the forehead angle!
and my pick will always be ROBERT HORRY
@Isaiah – please don’t imitate Stu Scott’s dumbass like that
@Austin – THANK YOU!! guys say “sexy” and “stud” about other dudes waaaay too often.
Why don’t they just say “I am a mantool for Corey Maggette” instead of saying he was a “sexy” free agent signing, ugh!
December 15th, 2008 at 11:18 pm
baron von faulk says:
oh also I like Hedo, Granger, and Bowen from the corner!
December 16th, 2008 at 5:11 am
M Intellect says:
FALL BACK.
Ray Allen is clutch. He hit two buzzer-beating game winning three’s last year. It’s either him, Chauncey or Kobe for me.
December 16th, 2008 at 10:09 am
BROGDEN says:
From what I’ve witnessed in my lifetime, I need either KERR, HODGE, OR MARK PRICE sizing up the rim from beyond the arc. By the look of things today (and not named flash, mamba, or king) I’d probably go with RAY ALLEN, MICHAEL REDD, OR RASHARD LEWIS, possibly even KAPANO. On the blacktop, give me DELONTE, JAMEER or BEN GORDON all day!
December 16th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
slygerogg says:
Mike Redd
Ray Allen
Chauncey Billups
or Kobe
December 24th, 2008 at 10:35 pm
Kantutan_Tayo says:
eyo niggaz, y not put my nigga Brad Daugherty there, ne was one hell of a free throw shooter