The night Curry set a record for made 3-pointers ‘defines him as a competitor’
Twenty- seven- year- old Stephen Curry took his seat as cheers of “M-V-P!” rained down from a sellout crowd at Oracle Arena.
It was the end of the fourth quarter, and Curry had just set a then-NBA record of 13 made 3-pointers in a game. He broke the single-game mark he had shared with Kobe Bryant and Donyell Marshall and helped lift the Warriors to a 116-106 win over the Pelicans.
Eventually his teammate, Klay Thompson, would go on to break that record. But that would be almost two years later. On this Monday evening in Oakland, Curry reveled in the accomplishment — one that felt particularly meaningful three nights after he snapped his NBA-record streak of 157 straight games with a made 3-pointer in a loss to the Lakers in Los Angeles.
“This was a special night,” Curry told reporters then.
Here’s what Kerr remembers from that game, played on Nov. 7, 2016.
QSeveral years later, what sticks out to you about Steph’s 13 made 3-pointers?
A“He came from a really tough night at Staples. So, if you know Steph, you can sometimes get a feel for when he’s going to explode. That night, we kind of expected that, knowing how competitive he is. So, it wasn’t really a surprise. He got out to a great start and just got rolling.
QIn the game before, he went 0-for-10 from 3-point range. Do you remember anything about Steph in the lead up to the Pelicans game?
A”I don’t remember anything now. But a guy like Steph, who is that competitive, he takes that personally. And so I’m sure he was preparing for that mentally, physically, getting his shots up but also getting his mind right and then we all knew he was going to bounce back. We didn’t know he was going to set the NBA record (laughing).”
QAt what point did you think the record was a possibility?
Q“I’ve gotten kind of immune. I’ve been spoiled by Steph and Klay and I’ve seen them get so hot so many times that I wasn’t aware that he had a chance to break the record until somebody told me at the end of the game — and the exact thing happened when Klay set the record in Chicago a couple of years later. I’m never really aware of that kind of stuff while it’s happening. So, I didn’t realize it at the time, but as the game goes you hear stuff, you hear other coaches saying stuff and then you figure out what’s going on. To me, that game defines Steph as a competitor more than as a shooter because of the 0-for-10 game, the lead up, having three days off, getting the technical [when he complained about a noncall on Anthony Davis]. All of that makes so much sense knowing Steph as well as I do because he’s a fierce, fierce competitor. I think the 13 3s and the record were a direct result from the 0-for-10 night and his response to that.”
QAs an accomplished shooter yourself, do you think the hot hand exists?
A“Oh, for sure.”
QWhat’s it like?
A“Everything just feels lighter. The ball feels lighter, your body feels lighter. It just seems like you’re floating out there. The rim looks big. Your thoughts aren’t here nor there. You’re just out there and playing and you just lose yourself in the game. That’s the beauty of being in that zone: It’s the total connection of your mind and body. The beauty of that, as an athlete, is what we’re all looking for; because it’s so easy for the mind to get in the way. So when I see Steph and Klay getting into that zone, that’s what I see, is them just completely losing themselves in the game.”