Curry brothers fall short of dream matchup in NBA All-Star 3-point contest, but Steph still wins bet.
Storybook ending denied: Warriors guard falls in final of 3-point contest
CHARLOTTE, N.C. >> If only the third shot on the last rack did not rim in and out. Then, Stephen Curry could have the storybook-ending he craved.
He could have won his second 3-point competition during All-Star weekend. He could have done it in his hometown. He could have had bragging rights against his brother, Seth, who plays for Portland.
“A 3-point competition with that kind of atmosphere? It’s what you ask for,” Curry said. “I was thinking that in my head.”
Too bad it was all a dream. In
reality, Curry finished in second place in the NBA 3-point contest (24) on Saturday behind Brooklyn’s Joe Harris (26). Curry fell short after his third attempt on the moneyball rack rimmed in and out. And Curry never had the head-to-head matchup he wanted against Seth, who was eliminated in the first round after finishing with 16 points.
This marked the second time Curry lost in a 3-point contest. He was second behind teammate Klay Thompson in 2016. But the winner offered some needed perspective.
“Steph is the greatest shooter of all time,” Harris said. “Shooting off of the rack for a minute is not indicative of being a better shooter than Steph Curry. I don’t want anybody to get it twisted at all.”
Therefore, Curry said he will move on from the loss immediately and shift his focus toward today’s All-Star Game. In the immediate aftermath, though, Curry still tried to process two developments.
Will Curry actually make his brother pay a bet? Beforehand, the two said the winner would pay future ticket requests for the rest of their respective NBA careers.
“We might have to talk about it,” Curry said. “We might have to get a mediator and see what’s going on.”
That mediator is likely his father, Dell, who competed with former NBA sharpshooters Ray Allen, Glen Rice and Mark Price in their own 3-point competition. As Curry mused, “they all should’ve practiced more.” Reporters then relayed to Stephen that Seth said the terms entailed comparing each other’s point totals. Stephen mused that Seth
“dug his own grave right there.” So will Seth have to pay?
“Most likely, yeah,” Curry said. “He shook on it.”
Curry sounded just as uncertain about his future plans. He said he “most likely” will retire from the 3-point contest after winning it in 2015 and finishing second in 2016. Warriors spokesman Raymond Ridder then brought up Chase Center’s plan to host the NBA All-Star Game. A reporter brought up Dallas forward Dirk Nowitzki competing in the contest in the final year of his 21-year NBA career.
“I’m going to change my answer,” Curry said. “I don’t know.”
Perhaps Curry would have clarity to his bet and future 3-point contests had he won in his hometown.
Curry admittedly had “zero” preparation for the shooting contest. He already has collected two NBA championships, two regular-season records and countless shooting records because he can shoot from deep. Not that he had much time, anyway.
On Friday, Curry participated in a clinic, unveiled two outdoor courts and a community center and attended Davidson’s win over Saint Joseph’s. He mused that Davidson coach Bob McKillop was worried about breaking down the film against St. Joe’s as opposed
to prepping him for the 3-point contest. Following media availability on Saturday, Curry watched his high school, Charlotte Christian, play a game.
Still, Curry maintained neither a compressed schedule nor hometown pressure made him feel nervous.
“It was the opposite for me,” Curry said. “I was competitive, anyway. So as long as I’m in Charlotte and in my backyard, I want to win the same. I just wanted to enjoy the atmosphere because it was in Charlotte knowing how many people watched me grow up in the game here.”
Curry conceded he only felt “nervous energy” waiting for Harris (25), Charlotte’s Kemba Walker (15), Toronto’s Danny Green (23) and Milwaukee’s Khris Middleton (11). Then, Curry passed the time by stretching and drinking water. Then Seth competed, finishing with 16 points. Though he made three of five shots from the moneyball rack, he had missed three of five shots from the third rack.
“I was watching him and smiling ear to ear and wishing every shot went in,” Curry said of Seth. “I’m sure it was the same for me. Maybe it wasn’t because he was trying to win a bet.”
Then, Portland’s Damian Lillard (18), Sacramento’s Buddy Hield (26), Toronto’s Danny Green (23) and Nowitzki (17) completed their respective rounds. Finally, it was Curry’s turn. He made his entire second
rack before missing four of five shots on the third rack. But Curry made his entire money-ball rack, prompting in both the hometown crowd and Curry to cheer loudly.
“You see the ball go in and go in, you almost kind of black out on the last rack,” Curry said. “People behind you and people behind celebrity row are yelling behind you making noises and stuff. You hear the crowd. It’s not like Oracle (Arena) in terms of the volume. You feel it out here a little bit more.”
That infectious energy carried over into the championship round with Hield (24) and Harris (26). Once Harris finished his round, Curry knew the job became tougher. But since when has he lacked confidence in his shot?
So, Curry opened up the championship round making his first nine shots. He missed three of his five shots on the third rack. He made three of four on the fourth rack.
“You miss a couple, you start to think a little bit,” Curry said. “I give myself an A for effort in terms of getting down to the last rack and literally had one go in and out. At that point, I knew I needed all five of them.”
Curry came close until his third attempt. That shot rimmed in and out. The miss spoiled the ending to the story Curry wanted to write. He sounded happy with most of the chapters.
Said Curry: “We’ll remember this for a long time.”