Saturday night the Warriors were trailing the Jazz in the third quarter and all eyes were on Steph Curry. Not because of what he had done, but rather for what he was about to do.
He had three three-pointers in the game, but with his fourth three-pointer with 10:59 remaining in the third quarter, Curry made history. That three, his 2,561st, vaulted him past Reggie Miller into second place on the NBA’s all-time made three-pointers list.
While the Warriors ended up losing, Curry added one more three-pointer before the end of the game, giving him 2,562. That now puts him 411 behind Ray Allen (2,973).
Curry understood the importance of the game but recognized what his fourth three pointer meant to his career.
“It’s special,” Curry said after the game. “I was trying to enjoy it in the middle of the game because I knew it was on the horizon and I knew how much I looked up to him growing up, watching him play, playing against my dad. Emulating a lot of things he did moving without the ball. I always said him and Steve Nash, I always tried to put those two players together …”
That’s when Reggie Miller, the man he surpassed, surprised Curry by joining the post-game conference.
“Oh! What up, Reg!” exclaimed a pleasantly shocked Curry. “That’s pretty dope.”
After speaking with Miller and his son, Ryker, for a few minutes, Curry continued.
”We got our head beat tonight, but I was trying to still enjoy it,” said Curry. “After I made the third one, I knew that was a big one, and then to make that fourth one in the third quarter was pretty special. Something I’ve been looking forward to for a very long time.”
Wardell Stephen Curry II will be 33 this March, giving him plenty of time to continue his assault on the NBA record books and pass Allen, which could come next season based upon his average of 3.6 made three-pointers per game.
With this in mind, is it (finally) time to anoint Steph Curry as the greatest shooter in NBA history?
It’s a heavily debated topic, one that encompasses generations of NBA fans. The first three names on the list, Allen, Curry, and Miller, are no-brainers for inclusion in the debate. But as you move down the remainder of the top 10 you have Kyle Korver, James Harden, Vince Carter, Jason Terry, Jamal Crawford, Paul Pierce, and Jason Kidd. Great players and scorers for sure. But great shooters?
When you think of pure shooters, you think of form and release. Those who are deadly from all spots on the floor. Players who snap the net and whose shots are blessed with compliments like “water” and “money”.
Some believe great shooters are determined by field goal percentage, but DeAndre Jordan is the NBA’s leading field goal percentage leader at 67.1%. Some believe great shooters and great scorers are synonymous or interchangeable but that’s not always the case.
Larry Bird averaged 24.3 ppg and shot 49.6% from the field and 37.6% from three-point range. A shooting average of 43.6%.
Reggie Miller averaged 18.2 ppg and shot 47.1% and 39.5%, respectively. A shooting average of 43.3%.
Allen Iverson averaged 26.7 ppg but shot 42.5% and 31.3%, respectively. A shooting average of 36.9%.
Chris Mullin averaged 18.2 ppg and shot 50.9% and 38.4%, respectively. A shooting average of 44.7%.
Michael Jordan averaged 30.1 ppg and shot 49.7% and 32.7%, respectively. A shooting average of 41.2%.
Kobe Bryant averaged 25.0 ppg and shot 44.7% and 32.9%, respectively. A shooting average of 38.8%.
LeBron James averages 27.0 ppg and shoots 50.3% and 34.5%, respectively. A shooting average of 42.4%.
James Harden averages 25.2 ppg and shoots 44.3% and 36.3%, respectively. A shooting average of 40.3%.
Kevin Durant averages 27.1 ppg and shoots 49.3% and 38.3%, respectively. A shooting average of 43.8%.
Steph Curry averages 23.6 ppg and shoots 47.6% and 43.3%, respectively. A shooting average of 45.5%.
Ray Allen, who Steph is now in hot pursuit of, averaged 18.9 ppg and shot 45.2% and 40%, respectively. A shooting average of 42.6%.
(Note: the NBA didn’t integrate the three-point shot into the league until the 1979-80 season, which was Larry Bird’s first year in the League).
If you average their field goal and three-point shooting percentages, the top two players are Steph (45.5%) and Mullin (44.7%). They’re also the only two whose averages are above 44%. If you look solely at three-point shooting percentage, Curry and Allen are the only two players above 40%.
Mullin was one of the greatest shooters in league history, but he didn’t average as many points as other Hall of Famers/future Hall of Famers on the list. Jordan is the greatest scorer (and player, in my opinion) in NBA history, but he wasn’t the greatest shooter. In addition, league play now is very different than it was in the 80s, 90s, and 2000s.
So with all of this in mind, is it fair to say that Steph Curry is the greatest shooter of all time? For me, a child of the 70s who grew up watching a tougher, more defensive-oriented, “come through the middle at your own risk” NBA, I always felt that Larry Bird and Chris Mullin were the greatest shooters in the game. But after watching Curry continue to shoot the lights out from almost every spot on the floor, I have to give props where props are due.
It’s time to hand the crown to Steph Curry and build him a bigger throne when he breaks Allen’s record next season.
”I have a certain style of playing the game that I love and…I love to put the work in,” said Curry. ”And that’s something that I hope people understand.”
I understand it now.
