3-MENDOUS!
It’s Curry’s Garden for night as Warriors’ star sets all-time record for treys
WARRIORS 105 KNICKS 96
Steph Curry was already considered the greatest shooter in NBA history.
Now it’s official.
In the place he long ago wanted to call home, Curry eclipsed Ray Allen with the most treys in league history, burying No. 2,974 in the first quarter of the Warriors’ 105-96 victory over the Knicks at MSG.
Curry needed just two 3-pointers to set the mark coming into Tuesday, creating a buzz and heightened atmosphere from a crowd assuming it would witness history. He nailed the first one – a pull-up from the top of the key – after one minute. It set up a spectacle of thousands in the arena pulling out their cell phones each time Curry touched the ball. The second trey occurred 3 ½ minutes later, and the crowd exploded.
The Warriors immediately took a foul and called a timeout for a celebration and tribute, which included a teary-eyed Curry hugging his family and embracing the standing ovation. The fans paid handsomely for that opportunity.
Tickets in the secondary market were the most expensive on record at MSG, according to tickpick.com, which reported an average price of $373 as of Tuesday morning.
The enthusiasm was more about Curry than the record, which had been held by Allen for more than a decade after he surpassed Reggie Miller. It’s not exactly a hallowed mark since the 3-pointer was established in 1979 and only recently became a major source of scoring.
But this was reason to further celebrate Curry in the World’s Most Famous Arena, where the reeling Knicks – sapped by COVID-19 infections to three rotation players – were back to hosting an opposing superstar’s exhilarating moment.
Michael Jordan; Kobe Bryant; LeBron James; Steph Curry. They’ve all had their Garden moments.
“It’s the Mecca,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “This is THE spot. If you ask every player in the NBA they’re favorite arena, I would guess the majority of them would say the Garden. I know it’s my favorite atmosphere in the league. There’s a ton of history here.”
Curry’s popularity spans coasts and age brackets, as evidenced by his fans taking over MSG on Tuesday. Not only did his family also show up, Allen flew in for the event. The presence of Miller, who was part of TNT’s broadcast team, meant the top three 3-point shooters were all in the building.
Number four, James Harden, is in Brooklyn.
In another universe — undoubtedly more pleasant for Knicks fans — Curry would’ve been setting the record for the home team.
Through his father and agent, Curry tried position himself to the Knicks in the 2009 draft. His father, Dell, confirmed he told the Warriors about his NYC preference during predraft phone call.
“I said, ‘No, we’d rather you not take him if he’s there because we have another place we’d like him to be,’” Dell Curry told NBA reporter Marc Stein this week. “He said, ‘Well, if he’s there, we’re going to take him,’ and I said: ‘That’s your choice. You call me and ask me a question and I’m telling you the truth from my end.’ “
Twelve years later, it’s hard to complain about the outcome. At least from the Curry family perspective. The Knicks didn’t trade up and chose Jordan Hill with the next pick. Hill retired after an underwhelming career.
“Thank God it didn’t happen,” Dell Curry told Stein.
There’s something refreshing and likeable about the way Curry goes about his business. He’s not a physical anomaly like LeBron or 7-feet tall like Kevin Durant. He was viewed as a defensive-deficient undersized two-guard out of college, then struggled through injuries early in his career. Unlike his contemporary superstars, Curry stuck with the same team that drafted him, never even hinting he’d relocate from the Bay Area.
“Steph appeals to everyone,” Kerr said. “Not just hardcore fans who look at his 3-point percentage. I think fans are attracted to him because of his humility and his story and how hard he’s had to work. From that standpoint, it transcends sports somewhat. I just think it’s a greatest testament to someone who is gifted but who has earned through hard work beyond the gift he was given.”
Only two weeks ago, Miles McBride was in the G-League for reps. On Tuesday against the mighty Warriors, he was closing a game above Kemba Walker.
For the last two seasons, Kevin Knox has been at the end of Tom Thibodeau’s bench, a former lottery pick already saddled with a bust label. On Tuesday, he was closing a game instead of Evan Fournier.
The Knicks lost to the Warriors at home, 105-96, and had the ready-made excuse of missing RJ Barrett and Obi Toppin due to COVID-19 protocols. But alongside these COVID-19 issues and Steph Curry setting the 3-point record to much fanfare in MSG, the big story was the continued disappointment of Leon Rose’s 2021 free-agency class.
Walker collected his seventh straight DNP, and Fournier reached a new low since signing his lucrative deal by scoring just two points on 1-of-5 shooting in 29 minutes. Without much help, Julius Randle was forced into hero mode, and he interestingly pledged afterward to play more selfishly.
“I think when I overthink that’s when I try to be unselfish and try to kind of think the game and get everybody going,” Randle said. “I just said (Tuesday), ‘I’m going to be aggressive.’ I just kind of let my instincts take over.”
Randle’s message had been the opposite in recent weeks, when he was preaching ball movement and, “playing the right way.” But he hasn’t played well and neither have the other Knicks. On Tuesday, Randle came alive with 31 points, and his teammates managed to shoot a combined 32%.
“If I’m hesitant and overthinking and I got an open shot and I don’t shoot it or I’m trying to play the right way and get other people going, it kind of takes me out of rhythm,” Randle said. “It takes away from my aggressiveness. It’s crazy because then I start to get turnovers and stuff like that. When I’m naturally aggressive and playing with force everything falls into place. I get in a rhythm and I start not overthinking, open and shoot it, if close out then get into the paint and find people.”
Randle’s latest makeover may change again when sidekick Barrett is back in the lineup, but it’s hard to argue with losing trust given the results. The Knicks (12-16) have dropped four straight and seven of their last eight.
“Can’t put a finger on it,” Derrick Rose said. “I can’t come up with anything.”
Both teams were operating at a disadvantage Tuesday. The Knicks’ COVID-19-related absences disrupted the rotation. Alec Burks returned from a one-game absence due to the birth of his child and started at shooting guard, tasked with shadowing Steph Curry. He did well enough, somewhat containing the Curry after the Hall of Famer set the all-time 3-point record. But the Knicks clearly missed Barrett, falling to 0-3 this season when the 21-year-old doesn’t play.
The Knicks fell to 1-7 since Tom Thibodeau officially removed Walker from the rotation. Former Knick Jamal Crawford took notice.
“Can’t lie, I hate seeing Kemba just sitting there,” Crawford tweeted. “Low key disrespectful.”
The Knicks have allowed the situation to marinate and fester, without an intelligible explanation as to why Walker can’t play even when the team is shorthanded. Thibodeau recently called it, “A coaching decision.” Fournier, meanwhile, has been struggling all season.
The Warriors were playing on the second night of a back-to-back and had a miserable commute from Indianapolis. Their plane was delayed because of a maintenance issue, forcing them to spend the night in Indy. The team didn’t arrive until noon for a 7:30 tipoff.