LeBron James' incredible game-winning 3-pointer was the culmination of years of work on his long-range shot

LeBron has been pushing his range back further and further with each passing year

LeBron James is rarely one to deny himself credit, but even he was somewhat amazed at the game-winning 3-pointer he sank to vault the Los Angeles Lakers into the postseason on Wednesday. Mere minutes earlier, he had been hit in the face by Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green, and as a result, couldn't quite see straight.  27-foot+ attempts 27-foot+ makes 27-foot percentage Games played 27-foot attempts per game 2015-16 25 9 36 76 .33 2016-17 54 20 37 74 .73 2017-18 86 39 45.3 82 1.05 2018-19 92 31 33.7 55 1.67 2019-20 128 43 33.6 67 1.91 2020-21 97 31 32 45 2.15 "After Draymond's finger to the eye, I was literally seeing three rims," James said in a postgame interview with ESPN. "So I just shot at the middle one." Whatever his intent, the result was what mattered. Swish.  It was a peculiar way for James to finish off longtime foil Stephen Curry. After all, Curry is the 3-point specialist among the two, and as incredible a shot as this was, it's one that Curry has made dozens of times in his career. James, for all of his gifts, lacks such a reputation as a marksman, and as a result, he isn't getting quite the credit he deserves for one of the biggest buckets his career. Fans and prominent media members alike have tarnished the shot by calling it lucky.