Stephen Curry Sets NBA Single-Season 3-Point Record: Comments, Reaction
Golden State Warriors point guard and reigning NBA MVP Stephen Curry is the most electric long-distance shooter the NBA has ever seen, and he confirmed that status Saturday against the Oklahoma City Thunder when he broke his own single-season three-point record with a triple in overtime.
Curry set the new mark with an off-balance three-pointer from the top of the arc to tie things up in overtime before he drilled a game-winner steps inside the half-court line with 0.6 seconds remaining in the extra session, giving his team the 121-118 victory
Here's the record-setter:
After breaking Ray Allen's previous record with 272 converted triples during the 2012-13 season, Curry shattered his own mark last year with 286 makes from beyond the arc. And thanks to a patently absurd 2015-16 campaign and 288 threes, Curry is now in sole possession of the top three spots on the list.
| 1 | Stephen Curry | 288 (and counting) | 2015-16 |
| 2 | Stephen Curry | 286 | 2014-15 |
| 3 | Stephen Curry | 272 | 2012-13 |
| 4 | Ray Allen | 269 | 2005-06 |
| 5 | Dennis Scott | 267 | 1995-96 |
NBA.com/Stats offered a look at Curry's shot chart this season following Saturday night's wild win:
The rate at which Curry has scored from deep is jaw-dropping enough, but the fact he's been so efficient while scorching nets around the Association remains the most impressive part of his conquest.
Entering Saturday's game, Curry was shooting 46.1 percent on 10.9 long-range attempts per game.
Not only had no player in NBA history attempted 10 threes per game prior to Curry's eruption, but also a grand total of four other players—Kyle Korver, J.J. Redick, Glen Rice and Dana Barros—had knocked down at least 45 percent of their triples while attempting at least five per game, according to Basketball-Reference.com.
Considering Curry has doubled that frequency from distance, what he's doing can be described only as groundbreaking.
"Steph's a killer," Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said, per ESPN.com's Ethan Sherwood Strauss. "He's a killer. People look at him, and he looks like he's 13 years old. Got that great smile and he obviously plays with great joy, but he's a killer. Trust me."
Thanks to that killer instinct, Curry never hesitates to hoist threes from outrageous distances or unconventional angles while working via catch-and-shoot or pull-up situations.
Prior to Saturday, Curry drilled 46.9 percent of his catch-and-shoot triples and 44.3 percent of his pull-ups from beyond the arc, according to the NBA's player-tracking data.
The scary part: Curry's reign as the NBA's most unstoppable force is still in its early stages.
Defenses have yet to solve the puzzle when it comes to slowing down Curry, and the creative manner in which he's able to pick apart defenses as a ball-handler in the pick-and-roll, a shooter curling off screens or a devastating one-on-one player in isolation situations makes him one of the most unique threats the league has ever seen.
And with plenty of time left before the regular season comes to an end, Curry could threaten to make 400 threes before the postseason rolls around.
Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com unless noted otherwise.
