Reggie or Ray?

Ali-Frazier, Brady-Manning, Gretzky-Lemiuex.  Some greats will always be remembered in pairs.  Add to that list, Reggie Miller and Ray Allen.  Although their careers intersected for only 9 years, they will always be compared.  They are the two best shooters in NBA history.  Miller turned shooting into an art form.  Ray Allen perfected it.  Who's better?

Reggie Miller entered the NBA in its heyday when Magic was still battling Bird, and Michael Jordan was emerging as the dominant force.  Miller was the backbone of the Indiana Pacers over his 18 year career and "the Man" there for near the entirety.  His elite skill was the three point shot and he knocked down 2560 of them at a 39.5% clip.  He obliterated the existing record of Dale Ellis (1719), one of the best pure shooters of all-time.  His best year behind the arc was in 1996-97 when the 3-point line was shortened and he knocked down 229 at a 42.7% rate.  He was able to take advantage of all 3 years the line was short--with 2 of his most prolific made 3's in that time span.  He shot over 40% 3 pointers for a combined 10 years.  Miller's highest scoring year was his third, 24.6ppg.  He averaged over twenty 5 other years and had a career average of 18.2ppg.  The most assists he ever had was only 4.0 in 1990-91 and the most rebounds, only 3.9 (twice).

On paper, Ray Allen obliterates Miller.  Allen averaged over 20ppg for 9 consecutive years, maxing out at 26.4 ppg in 2006-07 with Seattle.  After that peak year, he was traded to Boston, a team with two other big stars, dropping to an average of 17.4ppg.  Conceivably, and quite likely he would still be averaging over 20ppg (for a total streak of 12 years running) if he didn't have to sacrifice his stats on a better team.  His career average is 20.5ppg despite having lesser scoring opportunities over the previous 3 years.  This is an adjustment Miller never had to make as he was on Indiana his whole career, in the same system and pecking order.  Despite the arrival of very talented players like Jermaine O'Neal, there were no superstars that forced him to limit his scoring potential.  Again Allen, was mainly a scorer but in 2002-03 averaged 5.6rpg and 5.9apg far surpassing the best of Miller's years.  Allen also holds the higher career averages in rebounding, assists and steals.  As for the 3 ball, Allen is one short of Miller's career record, sitting at 2559.  He's on pace to break this Thursday night versus the Lakers at the Garden.  His 3 point shooting percentage at 39.8 is a hair above Miller's 39.5.  Allen played only his rookie year with the shortened 3 line and made 117 of them.  He happened to make more 3's than that 13 other times (with the reinstituted longer 3 point line) in his career with a peak in 2005-06 at 269.  He needs to only make 5 more this year to surpass that 117 again and the season has over 30 games left.  So whereas Miller's feasted on 3 pointers with a ridiculously shortened line, Allen never really had the opportunity to cherry pick and inflate his stats when the 3 point line was high schoolesque.

Both guys have been amazing at the free throw line.  Allen has a career 89.3% FT to-date, and Miller finished at 88.8%. Allen remained a ridiculously consistent 89.6% during the playoffs and in typical Reggie style, he upped the ante to 89.3% (okay, so you're not that impressed by a 0.5% increase).  Allen averaged 19.5ppg in the second season and Miller increased his scoring to 20.6ppg.  So, yes Miller improved his scoring in the playoffs and Allen dipped but it should be noted that almost half of Allen's playoff years and a significant majority of his playoff games came as a Celtic, where he was the second or third scoring option.



Without a doubt, Reggie Miller is known for being absolutely clutch in the playoffs.  He is immortalized in the Association for his 8 points in 11 seconds vs the Knicks in 1995 as well as the 25 point 4th quarter explosion in 1994 vs the Knicks, again, in the playoffs.  The Knicks actually came back and won that series but that has been largely forgotten when recounting Reggie lore.  Ray's playoff heroics are less memorable but his championship-clinching Game 6 performance in 2008 vs the Lakers can never be forgotten:  26 points, 7-9 from three point land.  Unfortunately, his choke job in 2010 (0-13 Game 3) largely erased the memories of 2008 and completely erased that of his record 8 3-pointers (Game 2, 2010).  Reggie's legacy is thus far more memorable--unfairly or not.

Despite being amazingly clutch and the two best shooters of all-time, neither has been good enough to be "the Man" on a team and take it to a title.  Miller was never surrounded by elite talent unless you consider the Flying Dutchman aka Rik Smits to be All-Pro material.  The Davis Brothers, Chuck Person, Jalen Rose, Jermaine O'Neal and Mark Jackson were all excellent players--but Reggie at his peak was better than all of them.  It is one of the reasons he never won a championship.  Had he been a second fiddle to somebody better from his era like Shaq or Barkley, he may have had a few rings.  The closest he came to achieving that was in 2000, when he had a phenomenal run with a playoff 24ppg, only to become the sacrificial lamb to the Shaq-Kobe Chainsaw Massacre, Part 1.

Allen was not blessed with superstar teammates either (until the Celtics of course)--Big Dog Glen Robinson was a solid scorer and helped Allen to propel the Bucks to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2000-01 and losing to the Sixers (which was all for the better, because they would undoubtedly be the goat to be sacrificed for the Shaq-Kobe Chainsaw Massacre, Part 2).  He had a decent Rashard Lewis in Seattle, but again, Allen was better than him and the remaining spare parts were like that of a Kia.  Ultimately, Ray Allen was traded to Boston where he teamed with superstars Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett and obtained the ring that eluded him.  It's not a knock on Allen or Miller that they were unable to be the lead guys on a championship team--only the most elite of players are in that category:  Jordan, Magic, Bird, Shaq, Kobe, Hakeem, Duncan, etc.  The 2004 Detroit Pistons are the exception--but that was largely due to the Lakers implosion as opposed to the Piston's success.



It should be noted that Miller played his entire career with the Pacers and is the best player in team history.  He's a legend and teams had to primarily and specifically game plan against him.  Everybody knew he was going to get the ball at the end of the game and he reviled in it.  He went toe-to-toe with Jordan at a time when few dared, and challenged him head-on when most collapsed in fear.  He helped build the Bulls-Pacers rivalry, and took over the Knicks-Pacers feud.  He pulverized Patrick Ewing and made Spike Lee look plain silly.  Reggie Miller was the Pacers.

Ray Allen* was traded two times--and never will go down as the best player in the history of the Bucks (Kareem), Supersonics (Gary Payton) or Celtics (Russell/Bird).  Reggie Miller could never have been traded--although like Allen, perhaps it would have been ultimately better for his career.  He may have won a championship as a Laker or Spur sharpshooter but at the cost of iconic status in Indianapolis.  Aside from shooting, Allen's game is arguably better with his ability to get to the rim and finish.  However, Miller's ability to get to the free throw line was only matched by the truly elite superstars in the game.  Both relied on a series of frenzied picks to create their best shots.  Reggie's shot was one of the most unorthodox in history, further adding to his legendary status.  Ray's shot is pure artistry--exactly textbook, an obvious result of endless practice and a maniacal 4 hour pregame, warm-up regimen.

Reggie's last few years were watered down with diminished output but he remained a late-game assassin.  Ray Allen is still going strong much later in his career--some of this is due to new advanced conditioning techniques, but much of it unquestionably due to his largely undiminished skill set.  And as pointed out earlier, much of his current statistical "decline" is a function of his secondary/tertiary status on the Celtics.  At age 35, he is averaging 17.5ppg, 50.7% FG (career-high), 46.2% 3 point (career-high).  Arguably one of the best years of his career in his 15th season.

Reggie Miller has meant more to the league--largely due to playoff heroics, his flair/persona and iconic status.  But when you really break it down, Ray Allen has had a better career and he can end the debate altogether if he keeps on going like this just a little bit longer.  Adding 3 pointers #2560 and #2561 will go a long way in pouring some cement to his argument.  And quite possibly Reggie Miller will be calling that game on TNT, Thursday night.

Who would I rather pay to watch?

Reggie Miller.  Hands down.

If somebody had a gun to my head, and the guy I picked needed to make the shot or I would die?

Ray Allen**  By a hair.


* Important to note that Ray Allen played Jesus Shuttleworth in He Got Game. Allen has a Hollywood status that Miller will never match--this somewhat negates that he was traded. Twice.  Perhaps Spike Lee knew that Miller-Allen was going to be a future debate and tabbed Allen, to get back at Reggie?  Miller roasted Lee's beloved Knicks in 1994 and 1995.  He Got Game debuted in 1998.  You need to consider this.

**Of course if it was 2010 NBA Finals, I would be six underground.

Addendum:  3000 3Point Field Goals Made is in play for Allen as is a possible Finals MVP.  Allen also has 10 All-Star appearances to Miller's 5.  Allen never took his team to the Finals as his team's alpha dog.  Miller did this once (as mentioned above).