The Numbers: That Big 3 for Ray Allen

by Kelly Scaletta

Sometimes it’s the big numbers that shape NBA history. Other times, it’s the big moments.

Such was the case when Ray Allen hit only one three-point shot in Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals.

But you already know which shot it was: “The one” that sent the contest between his Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs to OT. The one that changed a series, affected legacies and is already enshrined as one of the biggest makes in the history of the league.

Tim Duncan was the second-oldest player in playoff history to go for 30 points and 15 rebounds. He did it that night, but he is not remembered in spite of a truly legendary performance from a true legend.

LeBron James posted a triple-double that night, one of what is now 10 Finals triple-doubles in his career. (The entire rest of Finals history has 35 triple-doubles, if you want some perspective on how extraordinary that is.)

Allen is the all-time leader in threes. But go to YouTube and search “Ray Allen 3” and this is what you see:

Allen’s trey is not only what everyone remembers about that game, it’s also what everyone remembers about that entire series.

It only tied the game. And, again, it was just Game 6. But every series has a defining moment, and that was that moment. The Spurs couldn’t pull themselves back together during that overtime or the next game and lost in 7, only to come back on a vengeance tour the following year for their final title.

But even then, their equalizer is forever tied to the context of Ray Allen’s the previous summer.

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