Boston Celtics Ray Allen Is A Better Pure Shooter Than Larry Bird
[picappgallerysingle id="9063208"][picappgallerysingle id="9074348"]I will write this nugget of information first. I am not telling anyone that Ray Allen is a better basketball player than Larry Bird. While Ray Allen may be one of the top 75 players of all time, Larry Bird is one of the top 10 greatest in almost everyone that has ever watched basketball’s G.O.A.T list. Larry could rebound, pass, and score with his lethal shot at will. His determination and iron will carried the Celtics franchise to unbelievable heights. He is a very special player to me because my first memories as a fan were at the old Garden and at the tender age of six hearing the crowd chanting Larry, Larry, Larry, MVP, MVP, MVP. The noise and the buzz that Bird created was all deserved due to his iconic play on the court. Ray cannot touch this. However, as far as who the better pure shooter is, this is the only category that Mr. Allen can touch Bird in.
Let us begin this argument with the old eye test. Both have great form that seems unchanged regardless of a defender. Both honed this sweet shot with hours of practice. The difference is that I believe Ray has worked on his jump shot more. His shot always seems to have that perfect fluid motion. While Larry could hoist it up at a variety of angles to avoid the block, Ray relies on movement without the ball, screens, and picks to get space and set up for another lethal jump shot. This means that shot is always the same fluid motion and release.
Ray is a shooting guard. Shooting is his money maker. Larry was a small forward. He had to have a low post and mid range game. He was more like Pierce in regards to being a great scorer. While Bird worked on an impressive inside scoring moves, Ray is predominantly a jump shooter. The fact that Ray had more than 400 more three point shots made than Larry after both played 13 years, shows how much more shooting Ray has done. Ray will undoubtedly break Reggie Miller’s career mark for most threes in a career. That is also why Ray struggles at times and it seemed Larry did not. Ray needs his timing right. When Ray rushes or makes a slight adjustment, the jump shot might not be true. Larry in his prime could score without the jump shot at will in the post. Ray can drive, but the reality is he is a jump shooter. If you shoot that much, the practice alone should make you a better shooter.
No matter who you think the better pure shooter was this much is crystal clear: both are amongst the greatest shooters to ever grace the game. One could fill hours of tape with just the clutch game winners that came off the golden hands of these men. Boston Celtics fans should consider themselves lucky to have had the privilege of watching these men work their craft so many times a year in Boston. However, for my money Bird was a better player, but Sugar Ray’s jumper is just too sweet. The edge in shooting goes to Ray.
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