Curry zooms up all-time 3-point list
He’s in line to set bar very high when his career is done
OAKLAND >> In the history of the NBA 3-pointer, which dates to 1979, only two men have made more than Stephen Curry.
The Warriors superstar joined Ray Allen and Reggie Miller in the trey-master trinity Friday night, passing Jason Terry for No. 3 on the all-time list with his 2,285th in the third quarter of a 146-109 rout of the Chicago Bulls.
“Obviously, I want to catch them,” said Curry, who had 28 points on 10 of 16 shooting, 5 of 11 from long. “I’ll put together many more years at this pace. Knowing those two guys are right in front of me, it’s a special moment.”
Kevin Durant had a lukewarm reaction to Curry’s achievement, not out of envy but for what he expects to happen next.
“It’s definitely cool,” Durant said, “but we all know he’s going to break the record. He sets a high standard, and it is a high bar. It’s cool. But you have another season or two before you get to the No. 1 one spot. Then you’re going to shatter that record. So I’m waiting for that.”
Allen made 2,973 threepointers in a 17-year career that spanned 1,300 games. Miller made 2,560 in an 18year career that spanned almost 1,400 games.
Curry is in his 10th season and has played 655 games, roughly half that of Allen and Miller. Based on Curry’s 9-year average of 236 treys per season, he would pass Miller next season and replace Allen at No. 1 in the 2021-22 season.
“Those three are the greatest ever to put the ball in the hoop,” said Klay Thompson, who scored 30 points Friday night, 21 of them on 3s. “Steph will be at the top of that list when it’s all said and done.” And where will Klay be? “Probably right behind him at second,” he said.
Thompson correctly guessed he ranks in the low 20s (21st overall). In his eighth season, he has made 1,673 treys. The Splash Brothers ranking 1-2 when all is said and done?
“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Curry said. “It’s trending in that direction with what we’ve been able to do together. We both appreciate the longevity of what that all-time list looks like. We
are working as hard as ever to be efficient and shoot the ball at a high level. That’s something to shoot for.”
Curry took home the game ball and plans to have Allen and Miller autograph it. Not only are the three linked in NBA history, Curry called Allen and Miller “people I looked up to as young kid playing a game.”
Curry first fell in love with basketball because his father, Dell, knew how to make 3-pointers during a 16-year NBA career. Curry’s infatuation grew when he watched Miller either on television or at the same arena his father played. Curry kept a watchful eye on Allen toward the end of his father’s career.
“I always talked about Reggie, specifically in terms of what got his shots moving off the ball, his savviness and using his body,” Curry said. “His unorthodox shot is something I never idolized. But I did in terms of having that confidence and being able to repeat the same motion over and over again.”
As for Allen, Curry studied him from afar in high school and college and then head-to-head in the NBA. He often read how Allen often arrived at arenas three hours before tipoff to complete a shooting workout.
“It’s a joy to see,” Durant said. “To see the production out on the floor and how he ties everything together, it’s just pure artistry.”
• When DeMarcus Cousins makes his return — Friday remains the target — Kevon Looney will go to the bench. That’s not the best thing for a young player looking to maximize his value when he becomes a free agent next summer.
But coach Steve Kerr believes Looney will accept the change.
“Nothing fazes him. He just comes to work every day and gets his job done,” Kerr said. “Our bench will be fortified with another really good basketball player that makes us deeper. We’ll have to find the combinations that make the most sense from there.”
What will those combinations entail? Will Kerr provide an opportunity to second-year forward Jordan Bell and lean on Draymond Green and Jonas Jerebko for occasional minutes at center? Or will everyone’s playing time shrink?
“We’ll talk about that next week,” Kerr said. “We’ve got games to play before we go deep into that conversation.”
• Shaun Livingston played nine minutes against Chicago after missing Tuesday’s game with the Knicks because of a sore left knee.