Where does Ray Allen rank as NBA greatest shooters?

Watching game 2 last night between the Celtics and Lakers was amazing. Not only because I am rooting for the Cmen, but Ray Allen blew me away. The 34 year old shooting guard lit up the Lakers like a Christmas tree. He dropped 32 pts on the Lakers on 11-20 shooting, including 8-11 from 3 point range.

For those of you, who may not understand (then again, why are you reading this if you aren’t interested in basketball?) that is exceptional. Making 72% of your 3 point attempts in something not many people can do.

So much so, his 8 trifectors, that his 8 is a new NBA finals three point record for most made. At one point, he was 7-7 from outside the arc, in the first half alone! It got to the point, where Lakers players were just raising their hands up in a “What do you want me to do about this guy?” gesture.

Of course, the 3pt shot has come a long way since first brought into the NBA in 1979. Growing up, as an 80’s kid, the 3 pt shot was a special danger. And it was unique when someone hoisted one up. Teams didn’t put up 20 three’s in a game. This day and age, if you don’t have a three point shooter who knocks down 100+ treys a year, you’re behind the system. The past 12 seasons, the leading 3 point maker has no less than 201 in a season, compared to 79-87, when the season leaders had no more than 92 in a season. It’s a whole new world.

Becoming a great shooter, of course is obviously more than just chucking up threes. It’s a craft, it’s something that’s worked on, more than anything else in one’s game. It’s showing up early at practice, and leaving late, dropping jumpers from all over the court. Those are the guys, the ones that hone their skill with repetition and study of the game. Learning their sport, and learning their shooting ability. Those are the ones, I am talking about. Real, genuine,… shooters.

Now, of course, there are so many styles of the shooting expert. Shot selection is always important. Smart shooting, I call it. Often times, the older players learn to get a shot off when they need to, and they have the wits to get off high-quality shots. Moving without the ball has always been something I have felt strongly about. Not only do you confuse your defender, running through screens, but you tire him as well. Off the dribble shooters can create their shot, which is great. Whether it’s a set up isolation dribble-to-shot, or a 1-2 dribble power move jump shot, it all works. The triple threat position, of course goes back to the core fundamentals of shooting the ball. Those of you who don’t know what the triple threat position is, quickly, it’s holding the ball in a position to either shoot, dribble off, or pass at a moments notice.

So, as after last night display of sheer awesomeness, it got me thinking, where does Ray Allen rank amongst the best shooters in NBA history, to me? (C’mon, you knew, I was going to have something like this, didn’t you?)

A lot goes into my ranking, and after thoroughly thinking it over. As complicated as it was, here are my top 10 best shooters in NBA history, I have witnessed.

10-Glen Rice; 6-7 SF

9-Dale Ellis; 6-7 SG

8-Peja Stojakovic;6-9 SG/SF

7-Ray Allen; 6-5 SG

6-Dirk Nowitzki;7-0 PF

5-Jeff Hornacek; 6-3 SG

4-Mark Price; 6-0 PG

3-Reggie Miller; 6-7 SG

2-Larry Bird; 6-9 SF

1-Steve Nash;6-3 PG