Ray Allen vs. Reggie Miller: Battle of the Three-Point Gods
Ray Allen vs. Reggie Miller is a comparison battle that does not get talked about enough. Both paved the way for today’s three-point heavy league. Both are in the conversation for the best three-point shooter of all time (or second-best realistically speaking with Stephen Curry becoming the consensus best shooter of all time.) As we pick up with this “Versus,” series, we take a focus on the perimeter and decide which sharp-shooter we would rather have on our team at the peak of their career. One player played in arguably the best era of basketball of his career and was one of the best trash-talkers of all time. The other hit arguably the most clutch shot in NBA history to help secure a chance for his second title. Without further adieu, let’s take a deep look at this Ray Allen vs. Reggie Miller battle.
Ray Allen vs. Reggie Miller
Ray Allen vs. Reggie Miller: The Case for Reggie
Reggie Miller played his whole career for the Indiana Pacers and made quite the name for himself. In 18 seasons, Miller secured a Hall of Fame legacy with five All-Star appearances and three All-NBA Team selections. On top of this, he also tallied 18.2 points, 3.0 rebounds per game, and a three-point shooting percentage of 39.5 percent for his whole career. While Miller did not win a title (you can thank the greatest of all time, Michael Jordan, for that,) Uncle Reg did put up impressive numbers come postseason time. Miller finished his career with playoff averages of 20.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, and a three-point shooting percentage of 39.0 percent. How does this compare to his competition in this Ray Allen vs. Reggie Miller debate though?
Ray Allen vs. Reggie Miller: The Case for Ray
Let’s get the numbers out of the way. Allen had extremely similar numbers compared to Miller. For his career, Allen averaged 18.9 points, 4.1 rebounds per game, and a three-point shooting percentage of 40.0 percent. In the playoffs, Allen tallied 16.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, and a three-point shooting percentage of 40.1 percent. In terms of accomplishments, Jesus Shuttlesworth has 10 All-Star Game appearances, two titles, two All-NBA Team selections, and was a member of the 1996-97 All-Rookie Team.
Of course, the biggest accomplishment on Allen’s resume is arguably the most clutch shot in NBA Finals history as he hit the game-tying shot against the San Antonio Spurs in the 2012-13 Finals. A shot which led the Heat to win game six and then win game seven since momentum had been seized thanks to him. Not to mention, some will say he saved LeBron James‘ legacy in that particular Finals. On top of all this, we have not brought up how instrumental he was as part of the Boston Celtics’ star trio and how he dueled Kobe Bryant in two different NBA Finals. So, who is the winner of this battle?
Conclusion
For our verdict, we are going to go with Ray Allen. That is to not take away anything Reggie Miller accomplished. You could still make the argument that Miller did not play with as good of talent as Allen did throughout his career. However, when push came to shove, Ray Allen came through more often than not. The numbers are almost identical, but if you still insist on going this route, Allen’s numbers are just a tick better. At the end of the day though, Allen was able to prove his worth on the biggest stage and it resulted in two titles on his NBA resume. Ray Allen vs. Reggie Miller is a debate that surprisingly does not get talked about more than it does. Do you agree with our verdict? Let us know!
Main Photo: Embed from Getty Images
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