Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson Break NBA Playoff Record for Most 3s in a Series

The Golden State Warriors needed every last historic splash from the Splash Brothers to outlast the Oklahoma City Thunder in a dramatic seven-game Western Conference Finals.

Stephen Curry hit seven three-pointers and Klay Thompson nailed six in Monday’s 96-88 Game 7 victory. They both surpassed the previous individual record of 28 made three-pointers in a single NBA playoff series:

“The NBA record for threes in a seven-game series is 28, by Dennis Scott and Ray Allen. Stephen Curry (25), Klay Thompson (24) could top that tonight,” Janie McCauley of the Associated Press noted before Game 7.

Curry finished the series with 32 made three-pointers, while Thompson ended up with 30.

The duo carried the Warriors in the decisive Game 7. Curry scored 36 points (7-of-12 from three-point range) and dished out eight assists, while Thompson chipped in with 21 points and connected on six of his 11 shots from downtown.

Here is a look at the path each player took on the way to breaking the record, which Curry now holds:

Game	Stephen Curry	Klay Thompson	Result
1	6-of-14	3-of-8	108-102, Thunder
2	5-of-8	2-of-8	118-91, Warriors
3	3-of-11	2-of-7	133-105, Thunder
4	2-of-10	4-of-11	118-94, Thunder
5	3-of-8	2-of-9	120-111, Warriors
6	6-of-14	11-of-18	108-101, Warriors
7	7-of-12	6-of-11	96-88, Warriors

Bill Simmons of HBO and The Ringer put the accomplishment into historical perspective:

It is no surprise Curry set an NBA mark involving three-point shooting. He drilled a record 402 shots from long range this season, which shattered the previous record of 286. That prior record happened to be set by Curry last season, when he won his first of back-to-back NBA MVP awards.

He also made the fourth-most three-pointers in a single season when he connected on 272 in 2012-13.

The only other player in the top four for the most threes in a season?

Thompson, who hit 276 this season.

While Curry receives plenty of deserved accolades as the two-time MVP and face of the franchise, it was Thompson who put the defending champions on his back in Game 6 as they forced Monday’s Game 7.

Golden State found itself down 3-1 before winning Game 5 at home, but it needed an absurd performance by Thompson in Oklahoma City on Saturday. He finished with 41 points and hit 11 threes, many of which were contested by the Thunder’s defensive length.

His performance caused team owner Joe Lacob to bow down to him after the contest, via ESPN:

Thompson wasn’t satisfied after the outing, though, per ESPN.com's Tim MacMahon: “I should have had at least 13 because I missed some wide-open looks early.”

Next up for Curry and Thompson is an NBA Finals showdown against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Golden State won last year’s Finals against the same Eastern Conference champions in six games, but Kevin Love didn’t play because of a shoulder injury, and Kyrie Irving appeared in only Game 1, when he suffered a season-ending knee injury.

It wouldn’t be much of a stretch to say the Finals will be a three-point-shooting barrage.

The Cavaliers lead all teams with a 43.4 percent mark from behind the arc during this year’s playoffs, and J.R. Smith (3.5), Love (2.9), Irving (2.6) and Channing Frye (2.0) all hit two or more threes per game during Cleveland’s run through the East. The perimeter shooters took advantage of the open looks created by James’ penetration and will attempt to do the same against Golden State.

The Cavaliers even set an NBA record with 25 made three-pointers in one contest against the Atlanta Hawks in the second round, per NBA.com/Stats.

The Splash Brothers have already made history from three-point range. They may have to do so again to knock off the red-hot Cavaliers.