There are many debates that rage throughout the NBA world.
Who is the GOAT in basketball? Is Michael Jordan firmly at the top of the list? Or do others have an argument for the top spot? When it comes to the GOAT conversation, the argument can be made that someone other than Jordan deserves top-billing.
But there is one conversation that does not need to be had. The greatest shooter of all-time is Steph Curry.
Monday night, Curry made five three’s in Golden State’s 102-100 win over the Pacers in Indiana, moving him to within two makes of surpassing Ray Allen’s record.
It set Curry up to become the new three-point king Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden — a photo finish at the Mecca of basketball.
Curry made his second three-pointer of the game with 7:33 remaining in first quarter against the Knicks, officially becoming the all-time leader in threes made in a career. The game was paused to celebrate the moment, with both Allen and Hall of Famer Reggie Miller coming over to congratulate Curry.
"STEPHEN CURRY…THE ALL-TIME THREE-POINT KING IN THE NBA."
History.#NBA75 pic.twitter.com/8SawFh2QFk
— NBA (@NBA) December 15, 2021
“It was thrilling to see Steph break the NBA’s all-time record for three-pointers,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “He has revolutionized the way the game is played and continues to leave fans in awe with his amazing artistry and extraordinary shooting ability. We congratulate him on his historic achievement.”
What makes the feat so amazing is the length of time it has taken Curry to reach the mark. It took Allen 1,300 games to reach his 2,973 makes, and it took Miller 1,389 games to reach his career total of 2,560.
For Curry? 789 games to make 2,964 three’s.
While the argument can be made that the reason for Curry’s quick ascension up the list is due to the NBA’s relatively new reliance on the three, Curry is one of, if not the, reason for the increase in the league’s three-point attempts.
When Curry entered the NBA in 2009, teams were averaging 18.1 three-point attempts per game. So far through a quarter of the 2021-2022 season, that number has ballooned to 35.3 attempts per game.
It can almost all be traced back to Curry, proving that increased three-point shooting simply makes sense analytically, and making defenses defend from sideline to sideline.
For Curry, becoming the NBA’s all-time three-point shooter appears to come as a relief, as his play has suffered as pressure has mounted for him to pass Allen.
“I think he’s been trying a little bit too hard the last few games,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said on Monday. “Just trying to make 3s and get to this record, it will be a relief for him I think, and for our team, when he does break it. But I just think he’s been trying a little bit too hard. And a lot of them have been coming out of blitzes, off pick-and-roll — he just needs to make the simple pass, he knows that, but he’s kind of trying too hard to make a big play.”
Since getting within 16 three’s of the record — and not ruling out hitting 16 three’s in one game — Curry had struggled from the field. In his three games prior to Tuesday night at MSG, Curry shot a combined 14-46 from beyond the arc —30.4% — nearly 10 percentage points behind his season average.
“I’m enjoying the moment and now you’re knocking on the doorstep, it’s pretty surreal,” Curry said after scoring 26 points and going 5-for-15 from beyond the arc. “But just trying to let it happen. It’s one thing I’ve learned these last three games, is keep playing basketball, keep taking shots you think you’ll make and enjoy the experience of it because it’s a long time coming.”
Curry can now relax and get back to leading the Warriors resurgence, currently holding the best record in the Western Conference.
Curry has solidified what we already knew — we’ve been watching the greatest shooter to ever play the game for the past 13 years.
Joe Morgan is the Sports Reporter for The Daily Wire. Most recently, Morgan covered the Clippers, Lakers, and the NBA for Sporting News. Send your sports questions to [email protected].
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.