Curry breaks NBA career 3-pointers record

NEW YORK » Stephen Curry never wanted to say it himself, even if others have been saying it for years.

He refused to call himself the greatest shooter of them all until the numbers said so.

And now?

“I got that baby,” Curry said, raising his arms high in the air.

He struck the same pose hours earlier Dec. 14 after shooting his way to the top of the NBA record book with his 2,974th 3-pointer in the first quarter of the Warriors’ win over the Knicks.

Curry broke the record set by Ray Allen, who held it for 10 years after passing Reggie Miller. They were both at the game and presented Curry with a jersey with a 2,974 on the back.

That number could be 4,000 or more by the time Curry is done playing a game in a way that barely existed before him.

“He has totally changed the game of basketball as we know it,” teammate Draymond Green said.

Curry hit the record shot from the right wing with 7:33 remaining in the first quarter, waving his arms toward the sky, blowing a kiss and pounding his chest as he jogged backward down court. The Warriors then committed a foul and quickly called timeout to let the celebration begin.

Curry went and embraced his father, Dell Curry, who was seated along a baseline, while Bob McKillop, his coach at Davidson, stood in the stands and beamed alongside Larry Riley, who drafted Curry for the Warriors.

Then came a hug from Green, among others and, finally, Curry trotted back across the court for a long embrace and a few congratulatory words from Allen.

Curry already owns two of the top three seasons for 3-pointers — including the only season with 400 3s — and now has the career record.

It came at Madison Square Garden, where Curry had one of his early-career highlights on Feb. 27, 2013, when he made 11 3-pointers and scored 54 points. He’s gone on to win two MVP awards and three championships while becoming one of the biggest, most popular stars in the game.

Fans waited long afterward while he conducted a postgame interview on the court, chanting “MVP! MVP!” when he finished.

“I think fans are attracted to him just because of his humility and his story and how hard he’s had to work, so from that standpoint it transcends sports somewhat,” Golden State coach Steve Kerr said before the game.

Curry had been far from his best beyond the arc to start this road trip, going 3 for 14 in Philadelphia and then 5 for 15 in Indiana. But with his ability to go from slumping to surging in a hurry, Kerr predicted a breakout would be coming soon.

It came quickly Dec. 14. Curry hit from straightaway on his first attempt, and fans around the arena stood as he was dribbling the ball across center court on the next possession.