Top 5 Players with Most 3s in a Single Game in NBA Finals History

Talin T
2018 NBA Finals - Game Four
JR Smith and Stephen Curry

The three-point shot has revolutionized the game of basketball, especially in the NBA. Surprisingly the scouts, agents and coaches are asking their big man (Power Forwards and Centres) to spread the floor and be efficient from beyond the arc. The analytics have tried to convince the old NBA to give focus to the 3 pointers.

Their reasoning is such a good 2pt accuracy is above 50%, however the same from beyond the arc is just 33%. So players can convert fewer shots but still have more points. This is a list of 5 of the best shooting performances from beyond the arc which benefited the team in an NBA finals game.

Moreover, in today's game starting with the ' Splash Brother', the guards are heavily relying on their accuracy and quickness to create shots from beyond the arc. As seen from the 2018 western conference finals the '3' has the ability to turn the games around but also break them. Houston in game 7 shot an abysmal 7-44 from the 3point line, while Curry himself shot 7-15 from the arc and Houston's dreams were crushed in the third quarter.


#5 - J.R Smith- Game 5 - 2017

2017 NBA Finals - Game Five
2017 NBA Finals - Game Five

In a surprising twist, the do or die game-4 proved that the King, Kyrie and the squad could really take on the star-studded Golden State Warriors. BY outscoring the Warriors in game 4 49-33 and defeating them by a margin of 21 pts some people did believe that the 'King' could again upset the GSW this time by coming back from 3-0. For this to happen they needed all the help they could get from the starter and other supporting members like J.R., Tristan, Shumpert, Williams, Korver and Jefferson. Things looked good for the Cavs when the score 37 in Q1 taking a four-point lead and J.R. Smith had one of the best games of his career. While J.R. was shooting so efficiently Kyrie only shot a meagre 40% and Love did not even perform decently going 2-8 and scoring just 6pts the whole game.

It wasn't just the number of three's J.R. Smith converted, the reason this was a stellar performance was that he went 7-8 from beyond the arc. So he had the ability to increase his defensive prowess and not be mentally concerned about missing the rim. Even though the Cavs lost the game and the series, J.R stepped up and because of shooting skill that game the loss was restricted to only 9 points

#4 - Kyrie Irving - Game 4 - 2017

2017 NBA Finals - Game Five
The next best PG?

The 2017 finals were one of the most exciting and awaited ever, with the Warriors and Cavs reaching the finals 3 consecutive seasons and nearly sweeping all the other teams in the playoffs, it ultimately became a rivalry. Further, with Kevin Durant moving to GSW, the Warriors had a splendid roster consisting of the Splash Brothers, the second best player and another all-star. On the other hand, the King was supported by two other all-stars and good supporting cast in Thompson, Smith, Williams and more.

Yet the greatness of Lebron could not stop the Warriors from taking a 3-0 lead where they would convince the world that a dynasty is in the making and not even 2 All-stars with Lebron could take them down. However, in the do or die game, Kyrie just 25 yr old then decided to take over and shut all the critics down about him being good enough to help Lebron or his reputation as an All-Star. It was one of Kyries best performance ever, scoring 40 points in the game and securing a win in the first quarter itself by gaining a 16pt lead and scoring 49 as a team. Kyrie shot 58% 3P% and 70% TS%

#3 - Steph Curry - Game 5 - 2015

2015 NBA Finals - Game Five
2015 NBA Finals - Game Five

The Golden State Warriors were a surprise team to enter the finals, having the 6th worst odds to win the title and get past mammoths like the Rockets(Harden and Howard), Clippers( Paul and Griffin), Spurs( Duncan and Kawhi) and Thunder( Durant and Westbrook). The franchise had just brought in a new coach in Steve Kerr and saw the possibility of going all the way by relying on the 'Splash Brother's' exceptional shooting skill and accuracy.

The Golden State went into game 5 where Bogut had to miss out the game due to injury which meant that the big man defence the Warriors had was only Iguodala. Lebron who is a great passer and driver scared the Warriors as, without Bogut, they needed more on offence from other starters and could not expect much from Iggy as he was tasked with stopping Lebron. So Steph stepped up his game and gave a stunning performance by shooting 54% from the 3 point line and an exceptional 75% TS%

#2 - Ray Allen - 8 - Game 2 2010

NBA Finals Game 2:  Boston Celtics v Los Angeles Lakers
NBA Finals Game 2: Boston Celtics v Los Angeles Lakers

This Finals series was one of the most exciting and an awaited finals of the decade, After nearly 20 years the NBA fans were getting watch a Lakers-Celtics final " THE RIVALRY of NBA". The Celtics led by the Big-3 of Garnett, Pierce and Allen were facing off against Lakers led by a fan favourite and MVP Kobe Bryant who were also the reigning champions defeating Orlando last year.

This was possibly the Big-3's last chance to win the title with all of them over 32 years old. The Lakers were the clear favourites having collected Pau Gasol, Ron Artest, Derek Fisher and Lamar Odom Kobe's supporting cast. So the Celtics needed everything from the Big-3 as the bench could only provide little support. The game continued to a nail-biting 4th quarter game, where Ray Allen produced a brilliant shooting performance. Scoring 8 shots from beyond the arc and set the then-record for most 3 pointers in a finals game with a stellar 73% 3P% and 76% TS%. Ray Allen proved to the audience that his age did not affect his skill and carried his team to win the game where the others were performing poorly in terms of efficiency.

#1 - Steph Curry - 9 - Game 2 2018

NBA Finals Game 2 Warriors vs. Cavaliers
NBA Finals Game 2 Warriors vs. Cavaliers

Steph Curry in the 2018 Finals, lit up the Oracle Arena with his stellar performances hitting 9 shots from beyond the arc. Curry in a bid to prove his legacy and have a shot at the coveted NBA Finals MVP trophy brought to the arena his ' baby-faced assassin' mentality. After a close Game-1 which the Cavaliers lost because of a bundle of debacles.

The Golden State Warriors even though the favourites and a better roster realized that the victory will not be easy and Steph would have to bring out his best from beyond the arc to expose the Cavs' defensive flaws. Shooting 53% from beyond the arc and a 61% True Shooting %, Steph finally announced that he is indeed the best All-time shooter in the NBA.

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Edited by Yash Matange