Stephen Curry achieved yet another historic milestone in his winning career in the NBA and was understood by basketball fans who witnessed the game that their New York Knicks played against the Golden State Warriors. Everyone rose to applaud the visiting point guard, who in the mythical Madison Square Garden became the highest triple scorer in the history of the best basketball league in the world, with 2,977, four more than Ray Allen, the now former holder of the record.
But curry is so much more than the best 3-point man in the NBA. He is a revolutionary player who forever transformed the way you play to basketball. Admired for the joy and spectacularity of his game, he is the great protagonist of the current “triple era” in the NBA.
Its effectiveness and launch range boosted a paradigm shift in that league, whereby the 3-point shot is not only a resource but the cornerstone of the teams’ strategies. Data analytics, with a growing influence on sports decisions, identified that the greater effectiveness of the triple made it more profitable than the traditional medium distance shot or the inside game of the giants.
Stephen Curry punishes from a distance. Seated film director Spike Lee looks at him. AFP photo
Numerous teams they followed with enthusiasm this model With which Curry’s Warriors reached five consecutive finals between 2015 and 2019 and won three rings in a style that reinvigorated the league.
And just like Michael Jordan’s moves were emulated by figures like Kobe Bryant, the NBA’s emerging youth, from Trae Young to Luka Doncic, are inspired by Curry and they have no complexes in throwing from distant positions or after confusing the defender with steps behind or to the side.
“The game has changed. Now these guys shoot from much further than the three-point line, “the German said this week. Dirk Nowitzki, one of the best shooting power forwards in history. “Now there are guys that if they are free, they shoot from just after midfield and put it in, something that was not seen when I started playing,” he added.
The 3-point throw was introduced to the NBA in 1979 but the progression since Curry’s arrival in the league has been unstoppabledespite the reluctance of such respected figures as Gregg Popovich, Emanuel Ginobili’s legendary coach at the San Antonio Spurs.
In his rookie season, the 2009-2010, an average of 18.1 triples was thrown per game. By 2014-2015, when he won his first ring with the Warriors, he had risen to 22.4. Since then the figure has shot up to 35.4 attempts on average. in the current season. This explosion has meant that virtually no player, including pivots, can thrive in the NBA today without being good throwers. Even Luis Scola noticed this process and began to train an external shot that he showed in the last seasons of his career.
At 33 years old, Curry took the record for triples in just 789 games regular phase, with an average of 3.8 per game (43.1% correct), while Ray Allen played 1,300 games, with an average of 2.3 pitches converted (40%).
Both Allen and Reggie Miller, third on the list, recalled Tuesday from the Madison Square Garden from New York how the game has evolved since his days on the court. “When I got to the league, if I threw a triple, the coach would take me out of the game. So you had to send the ball to the paint, ”Allen explained. “The game and the importance of the triple has changed and a lot of this has to do with Golden State’s number 30,” Indiana Pacers icon Miller said of the new all-time leader.
Very few anticipated this impact when Curry was selected by the Warriors in seventh place in the 2009 draft. Minnesota Timberwolves had the previous two picks and he was ruled out in favor of the Spaniard Ricky Rubio, current substitute in the Cavaliers, and of today forgotten Jonny Flynn.
Curry carried the talent in his blood, inherited and perfected by his father, the former player Dell Curry, but his 1.88 meters, his light physique and his initial propensity to injuries generated many doubts around him. The arrival of Steve Kerr, another exceptional 3-pointer, to the Warriors bench in 2014 unleashed the potential of Curry and the Warriors’ other “sniper” Klay Thompson, the couple known as “Splash Brothers”.
It’s in his blood. Stephen Curry and his dad, Dell. AP Photo / Mary Altaffer
Combining his deadly shot and ball juggling that Allen and Miller lacked, Curry has an inexhaustible repertoire to score three points. The point guard takes advantage of all the resources with which he learned to survive against bigger rivals and today he dominates the NBA again.
“One has a little scared for not knowing what to do – described by his old rival Dwyane Wade, now a television commentator. He can shoot from anywhere on the court and has incredible ball handling. It is simply impossible to defend”.
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