Shot of the Century: How Ray Allen changed NBA history

Dwyane Wade #3, LeBron James #6, Chris Bosh #1 and Norris Cole #30 of the Miami Heat celebrate after defeating the San Antonio Spurs 95-88 to win Game Seven of the 2013 NBA Finals

The Spurs extended their lead to 75-65 by the end of the third quarter. Until that point, LeBron James had missed nine of his 12 shots. The Heat had one more quarter to save the game and their season.

And then the fourth quarter happened. Spoelstra inspired his team to tune up on the defensive end as the Heat started to force the Spurs to tough shots and turnovers. LeBron took over, scoring 16 points in the final period and creating – directly or indirectly – a dozen more. Mike Miller hit a three-pointer with one shoe. The Heat came all the way back and took a one point lead in the last minute.

Then the Spurs – led by a big three by Tony Parker – stormed back and turned the tables on the Heat, taking a 94-89 lead with a shade over 29 seconds left. It was all a little too much for many Miami Heat fans, who began a mass exodus instead of sticking by their record-breaking team till the very end, and thus missing the dramatic turn of events that followed.

The turn of events was thus: Manu Ginobili and Kawhi Leonard missed a free throw each, Chris Bosh hustled on an offensive board to get Miami a second chance opportunity, and LeBron James hit a three. And in the game’s penultimate possession, Bosh won the famous offensive rebound and passed it out to Allen.

Ray Allen. The Greatest Three-Point Shooter of All Time. Allen has a legendary work ethic, a work ethic that helped him become an elite NBA star for a decade and remain a useful piece to contending teams for a half dozen years more. He is usually known to be the first to hit the gym for practice or for game-nights, and known to keep working on his shot night in and night out to make his perfect release perfecter. It’s this dedication to excellence that made Allen one of the NBA’s most respected players, that saw him be a star for the Bucks and the Sonics, that made him a part of Boston’s championship-winning Big Three, and that tempted the reigning champions Miami to sign him from their rivals. Through the course of his career, he showcased himself as far more than a three-point specialist, but it was that textbook-form jump-shot that defined his legacy forever.

With five seconds left in the game, Allen did what he had done tens of thousands of times before. In a rush, it wasn’t about the perfect form, the perfect look, or the perfect release anymore. It was about the years of practice and experience which had now become second-nature to him. It was just another three-point shot that would become the biggest shot of his career. He went up and, with the perfect release, took the shot. He made the shot.

The arena – full of the lucky fans who opted to stay in their seats – exploded. The game went into Overtime. It continued being a see-saw battle, until a Ginobili turnover (or some would say, a foul uncalled) had the ball in Ray Allen’s hands again on the free throw line to ice the game. He did. Bosh blocked one last event by Danny Green. 103-100. Game: Miami.

A lot of other factors worked through the course of the seven games for the result to finish with a 4-3 Miami victory, and most of them could be factored to LeBron’s otherworldly performances. But no single moment would prove to be more crucial than Allen’s three. It was a shot that helped the Heat win their third title and second in succession. It was the shot that brought LeBron his second championship, instead of seeing him go one for four in the NBA Finals. It brought Dwyane Wade his third ring, and Allen his second. It blocked the fifth title for Duncan and the Spurs. With just seconds left, it changed the course of history, snatching the trophy out of the hand of the San Antonio Spurs to the Miami Heat.

Ray Allen has hit more threes than anyone in NBA history. It was only right that he was the man responsible for arguably one of the greatest shots of All Time.