The wait is finally over and the weight is finally off Steph Curry’s shoulders.
The Warriors superstar broke Ray Allen’s all-time NBA record by hitting his 2,974th career 3-pointer Tuesday night against the New York Knicks. He tied Allen with a quick three from the left wing, about a minute into the game. The next time down, he launched another attempted but it rimmed out. Tension built. The crowd stood every time Steph touched the ball.
Then it finally happened. With 7:33 left in the first quater, Curry created separation and swished one in from the right wing. He immediately celebrated with a mighty roar, hugged Draymond Green and then the rest of his teammates as there was a timeout called on the floor.
Cameras filled the floor as Steph took a moment to embrace his dad, Dell Curry, and soak in the achievement. A few minutes later he found his mom Sonya in the crowd. Curry also made his way to Allen and they shared a hug in a moment that will be replayed for decades to come.
There was a heightened sense of fanfare throughout the day. Ticket prices reached record prices for Madison Square Garden for Tuesday’s matchup. Reggie Miller, the No. 3 all-time 3-point shooter, was on the call for TNT. Allen was in the house, too, and the trio of great shooters shared a group embrace before the game.
"It was a special atmosphere," Curry told reporters, via Zoom. "I knew the Garden would deliver in terms of just how iconic this place is. I can't say it enough, I appreciate it so much the way the fans embraced the moment with me and let me just kind of get lost in it. Once I took the shot on the wing and it felt good, looked good, it felt like we were at home. I didn't really realize that we were going to foul and there was going to a timeout and all that. It was a special moment for sure that I appreciate and I'll remember for the rest of my life."
At one point during the celebration, Steph had to gather himself on the bench and wipe away tears with his jersey.
Though it’s a record that’s 13 years in the making since Curry made his debut as a skinny kid out of Davidson, intense attention had been mounting over the past week. Once the buzz dies down, Curry and Warriors no longer have to answer incessant questions about making NBA history, after he admitted Monday morning there was a sense of “anxiousness” as he approached the record.
Curry accomplished the feat in his 789th career game, compared to the 1,300 contests it took Allen over his 18 NBA seasons. Steph has completely changed the game since being drafted in 2009, as he is averaging 13.4 3-point attempts per game this season, more than triple the 4.8 per contest he took in his rookie campaign.
Now the countdown is on for Curry to become the first player in NBA history to reach the 3,000 3-pointer plateau and further push his record into unreachable territory.
"In my respect for Reggie and Ray," Curry said, "guys who set the bar for what it meant to be a sharpshooter, to have the longevity as well, for me I've tried to own that in my journey, in terms of range, volume, efficiency. All those things go into it. I pride myself on shooting a high percentage. I pride myself on allowing that to help us win games. Now I can pride myself on the longevity of getting to that number that Ray set and hopefully pushing it to a number that nobody can reach.
"We'll see what happens, but that's something, that the balance of volume and efficiency for me is the standard that I wanted to set. I never wanted to call myself the greatest shooter until I got this record. I'm comfortable saying that now."
