3-pointer champ Gordon will defend crown in L.A.
After hitting a seasonhigh seven 3-pointers on Thursday, Rockets guard Eric Gordon said he has enough of a replenishing supply that he intends to put to use next month during All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles.
Gordon said he will defend his 3-point shooting title at next month’s All-Star Saturday events at Staples Center. Though participants in the Saturday night events have not been announced, Gordon said the league has told him that as last season’s champion, he has an invitation to defend his title, and he has made plans to be there.
“It’s always something I dreamed of, winning it,” Gordon said. “I definitely want to win it again.”
With an appearance in Los Angeles, he will have competed in AllStar related events in his first two NBA cities, New Orleans and Los Angeles, and he noted that the 2021 event is in his hometown, Indianapolis.
“I’d like to do it there, too,” Gordon said.
Format doesn’t bother Curry
Though the All-Star selections that Stephen Curry and LeBron James will make this week will not be televised or even made public, despite the calls from many that it would be a must-see event, Curry said he would not have issue with that or be surprised if future selections are televised.
In the first season of the NBA’s revised All-Star format, the top vote-getters are considered captains and will select teams from the pool of players named All-Stars. Reserves will be announced on Tuesday.
“Obviously there’s a lot of people that are in favor of watching it live, and there’s also people that understand the reasoning behind why it’s not this year,” Curry said. “I’m sure as this new format unfolds it’ll happen. I’ve always been a proponent of protecting the players. I know that’s the unpopular position, but in this day and age, we’re all grown men, we’re all All-Stars. We can handle it. You want to see how the whole format goes the first time. It sounds great that there won’t be any GIFs, so you won’t be ridiculed.”
“It’s the first time it’s happened in the league, so you don’t know what to expected or how it’s going to unfold, and specifically what it’ll look like on the floor with mix-matched rosters. LeBron’s been an All-Star for, what, 14 straight years, and he’s played with Eastern Conference guys every year, so to see him have to pick some Western Conference guys and vice a versa. It’s just going to be a fun look on the floor. It might take some getting used to.”
Curry said he does not have a first pick in mind because James has the first selection. He said he feels no obligation to choose teammates but would want to if he gets the chance. He also plans to bring in help.
“I’m putting together an assistant GM staff that can help me get my draft board and know how to respond if he picks a certain way,” Curry said. “I’ve got my brother, and my pops, and maybe “I’ll have to ask Riley (his 5-year-old daughter) to see how she feels.”
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said the focus was never on televising the event but understands the players’ reluctance.
“That, of course, has become an issue,” he said this month. “I understand the sensitivity of the players. When you’re drafting teams, you’re drafting for the long term. When you’re choosing (an AllStar) team, you’re putting together a combination of players that make the most sense for that game. And so the order in which you pick those players isn’t necessarily representative of who the best players are in order. Fans could look at that selection and there could be a sense of, ‘Oh, I can’t believe that guy was picked fifth instead of first or second or whatever.’ ”
Kerr notes style differences
The Warriors lead the NBA in 3-point percentage, but Warriors coach Steve Kerr was quick to point out a difference in his team’s offensive style and the Rockets even more significant than the Rockets ranking 16th in 3-point percentage while taking enough to make more than any team in NBA history.
While the Rockets seek to limit mid-range shots, the Warriors get the fourth-largest percentage of their scoring in the mid-range, 16.5 percent. The Rockets get just 4.7 percent of their scoring on mid-range shots, the fewest by far in the NBA. The Warriors and Rockets have the top two offensive ratings and are first and second in scoring.
“We shoot a ton of mid-range shots,” Kerr said. “I like open shots. I like rhythm shots. Two or three doesn’t matter, good shots.”