10 Best 3-Point Shooters in NBA Playoffs History

The NBA universe has witnessed some great shooters, who shoot well from behind the arc with ease. Sometimes, it looks like they are in a practice game. With good defenders closing on them, they do not hesitate to let one fly from downtown. That is the level of confidence these players have upon themselves. This confidence did not get built in a single day.

There is a lot of practice that is involved so that we get to see them make all those tough contested shots. In the Playoffs, in particular, when the teams play some really good defense not giving away open 3s because of the stakes involved, these shooters make 3s with even more precision and ease.

Here, we look at top 10 players who shoot the ball really well in the post-season, with respect to the number of 3-point field goals made:

#10 Paul Pierce

Paul Pierce shooting over Knicks' Defender Jason Kidd in 2013

Paul Pierce is one of the best players the NBA has ever witnessed. He is known for his days with the Boston Celtics and was part of their Big 3 along with Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett that won the franchise it's 18th championship back in 2008. He was named Finals MVP for that championship run.

Pierce who was a 10-time All-Star was known to be a good shooter. He shot the long-ball well, particularly in the post-season. He was the winner of the NBA 3-point shooting contest during the All-Star weekend in 2010 at the age of 33.

Playing alongside a playmaker like Rajon Rondo, he was used to taking a lot of three-pointers. The Celtics also had Allen on the team, who is widely acclaimed as one of the greatest 3-point shooters of all time.

Pierce, who averaged 19.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists per game over his long career, has made 276 3-pointers after taking 777 shots with a 3-point field goal percentage of 35.5 in the Playoffs.

Boston Celtics retired his jersey No.34 in 2018.

#9 JR Smith

JR Smith with a corner 3

JR Smith, who had a forgettable Game 1 against the Golden State Warriors in the 2018 NBA Finals, is widely known for his shooting abilities. JR Smith has played with three teams during his career and has always been a great shooter for all of them.

One of his greatest performances came in the finals of game 5 in 2017 when Golden State Warriors defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 129-120 for their second title in three years. JR went for a monster performance and shot 7 3-pointers in just 8-attempts with a 3-point field goal percentage of 87.5. Though Cavaliers lost the game, a lot of people have praised JR for playing his heart out till the last second of the game.

JR Smith has made 282 3-pointers after attempting 764 with a 3-point field goal percentage of 36.9 in the post-season. JR Smith who now plays for Cavaliers is their go-to guy to shoot 3s along with Kyle Korver, who is another great 3-point shooter.

JR won a championship ring with the Cavs in 2016.

#8 Derek Fisher

#2 Derek Fisher shooting over Dallas defender

Derek Fisher was known for his unconventional shooting action. If you have never followed the NBA, your first impression would be that he was not a good 3-point shooter. Though he shot unconventionally, he shot the ball really well for the most part of his career.

He is known for his days with the Los Angeles Lakers, with whom he has won 5 NBA championships (2000-02, 2009-10). Fisher was a defensively-minded PG who had the ability to shoot the ball really well.

One of his best shooting nights came in a playoffs game in 2008 against the Utah Jazz when he made 3 clutch 3s in a row. He always stepped up when the team needed a 3 to cut the opposition's lead or extend their own.

Derek Fisher has made 285 three-pointers in the playoffs during his 16-year postseason career. He has attempted 715 shots with a three-point field goal percentage of 39.9%

#7 Kobe Bryant

#24 Kobe Bryant during his final NBA game

Kobe Bryant, who is one of the all-time greats of this sport, is known for his shooting skills. He played shooting the guard and used his dribble moves to create space and launch one over the defenders without much hesitation.

A Lakers' legend, Bryant has always been the one to take shots when the game was on the line. He is a 5-time NBA champion, 18-time All-Star and has numerous other achievements on his name.

He is known for his 81-point game that he had against the Toronto Raptors on January 22, 2006, at Staples Center. He shot 7-13 from behind the arc with a 3-point field goal percentage of 53.8. and shot 28-46 with a field goal percentage of 60.9. This is only an example to show how his shooting skills helped him score a lot of points with ease.

Kobe Bryant has made 292 shots after making 882 attempts with a 3-point field goal percentage of 33.1% in the post-season.

The Los Angeles Lakers have retired both of his jersey numbers 8 and 24.

#6 Klay Thompson

Klay shoots over George Hill of Cavs

Klay Thompson is arguably one of the best shooters in the NBA currently, even all-time for that matter. He is known to shoot the ball from way downtown even without taking a dribble. His ability to come-off screen and shoot the ball quickly has been one of the main reasons why the Warriors have enjoyed the success they have in recent past.

Klay is a shooting guard who plays a great defense. When he has an off-day with his shooting which happens very rarely, he contributes on the defensive end. He then gets the confidence and comes back to his usual shooting form. There is no doubt that the Warriors would not have had the same amount of success without Klay.

Klay once had a legendary performance when he scored 60 points in 3-quarters against the Indiana Pacers. He shot 8-14 from the downtown and only dribbled the ball 11 times all game. This shows how good he shoots the ball.

Thompson has made 300 threes in the post-season after attempting 733 with an efficient 3-point field goal percentage of 40.9.

#5 Reggie Miller

#31 Reggie in action against Pistons

An Indiana Pacers legend, who played all 18 seasons with that franchise, Reggie Miller was a great shooting guard who shot the ball really well, particularly in the playoffs. A 5-time NBA All-Star, he is also part of the prestigious 50-40-90 club which he joined in 1993-94. During the 1993-94 regular season, Reggie shot 50.3 percentage from the field, 42.1 percentage from behind the arc and 90.8 percentage from the free throw line.

He is known for his precision three-point shooting and was called "Knick Killer" for his great shooting over the New York Knicks. He is currently second on the list of all time 3-point field goals made leaders, only behind Ray Allen.

Reggie Miller made 320 3-pointers after taking 820 shots with a 3-point field goal percentage of 39.0% in the post-season.

Indiana Pacers retired his jersey No.31 in 2006.

#4 Manu Ginobili

Los Angeles Lakers v San Antonio Spurs

A 4-time NBA champion, he was a member of the San Antonio Spurs' Big 3 that had Tim Duncan and PG Tony Parker, from 2002 to Duncan's retirement in 2016. He has been the Spurs' star SG since his arrival to the league in 2002.

A career filled with a lot of game winners, his most recent came when he shot a rainbow three over the Celtics defender on 8th December 2017. Manu Ginobili shoots left-handed and that makes the defender's job slightly more difficult as the defenders usually take some time to realize as the league is dominated by full of right-handed shooters.

Manu has made 324 shots after attempting 905 in the postseason with a 3-point field goal percentage of 35.8 and is currently 4th on the list of a number of 3-pointers made in the post-season.

#3 LeBron James

LeBron James shoots a 3 over KD

He is widely acclaimed as one of the greatest players of all time if not the greatest. A 14-time All-Star, 4-time regular season MVP, 3-time Finals MVP has constantly improved his shooting skills and now in his 15th season is shooting at his career-best level.

He had an epic game-winner recently in the Game 5 of the first series of the playoffs against the Indiana Pacers when he shot one over Pacer's defender for the win.

LeBron James is known for his step back 3 pointers and shot it well consistently throughout his career. With the game on the line, his teammates always trust him and give him the ball without a second thought.

In the playoffs, LeBron usually shoots better than what he shot in the regular season. He made 369 shots after attempting 1109 with a 3-point field goal percentage of 33.3.

#2 Stephen Curry

Steph shoots over Larry Nance Jr.

Stephen Curry has redefined the art of 3-point shooting in the NBA. It is because of him that players have now started taking a lot of 3-pointers. He showed that 3-point shooting is pure skill and no luck.

The way he dribbles the ball creates space and pops up a 3 is something a lot of players now try to emulate. He is arguably one of the best 3-point shooters of all time with some people even calling him the best. Stephen Curry once famously made 93 3-pointers in 100 attempts in practice.

Stephen Curry broke Ray Allen's record of highest 3-pointers made in an NBA Finals game today by going off 9-17 from the 3-point range in Game 2 of the 2018 NBA Finals. He also holds the record for highest three-pointers made in a regular season with 402.

In Playoffs, Steph has made 370 shots after making 902 attempts with a breath-taking 3-point field goal percentage of 41.0%.

#1 Ray Allen

Ray Allen saves the day with a 3-pointer for the Win

No surprises when you have already seen Steph at No.2. It is Ray Allen, who is on the top of the ladder for the highest number of 3-pointers made in the playoffs history. A 2-time NBA Champion, Ray Allen is one of the all-time greats when it comes to 3-point shooting.

He had the ability to shoot from anywhere on the court with much precision. He was one of the main reasons why Celtics were able to dominate consistently during his Boston days.

His career-defining shot, however, came during his time with the Miami Heat when he shot a game-winner from the corner after collecting the pass from Chris Bosh against the San Antonio Spurs in game 6 of the NBA Finals. Miami Heat went on to win the series and championship in a well fought seven game series.

Ray Allen made 385 3-pointers after attempting 959 shots with a 3-point field percentage of 40.1. He was also the winner of the 3-point shooting contest in 2001.

Given Curry's meteoric rise, he will most likely rise to No. 1 spot in what could be just 3 more games.