Stephen Curry, the record-breaking serial shooter: the million passes, the shout of “MVP” by rival fans and the praise of LeBron, Durant, Shaquille, Barkley and Iverson

From the moment that Stephen Curry drops the basketball until it reaches the basket more than 7 meters away, a second and a half passes, a blink of time that somehow seems frozen to an expectant audience, to his scorers and his teammates , for TV viewers and front office executives. “Emotionally, it takes a journey,” said Bob Myers, CEO of Golden State Warriors. And I’m not sure that exists in other players. It is something that must be contemplated ”.

For 13 seasons of NBA, Curry has filled in the boxes for Golden State, and on Tuesday he became the Most prolific 3-point shooter from the United States league to beat Ray Allen’s career record. The mark-breaking shots came early in the first quarter of the game against the New York Knicks at the Madison Square Garden, with the presence of Allen and with the audience vibrating every time Curry touched the ball.

Triple the historical record

To their 33 years, Curry is having one of the best seasons of his career, and he has helped position Golden State at the top of the Western Conference as the team awaits the return of Klay Thompson. In the process, Steph continues to reshape the 3-point line as her personal canvas, and with each passing week her record will grow: add 2,977 triples in his career, and counting. But beyond the numbers, it is the art of an athlete capable of producing shocks of electricity every time he lines up with a long distance jump.

“You can feel the frenzied energy it generates,” said Bruce Fraser, one of the Golden State attendees. “And when he gets going, you can see the ball spin a little faster out of his hands, and the arc of his shot is almost like a meteor shower. It is a storm in the sky. And I’ve never felt that from anyone else, “he added.

Curry’s latest milestone comes as Golden State continues its rebirth after stumbling into the wilderness of two listless and injury-plagued seasons – struggles that made the once-superpower look deadly after five consecutive NBA Finals appearances, including three. wins over LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers.

Curry has rarely, if ever, caused a sensation. After he made nine 3-pointers and scored 40 points in a landslide win last month, they sang “MVP” to him, which is no big deal, except for the fact that Curry i was in cleveland. “When the 30 got going, it got going,” Cavaliers Darius Garland told reporters, referring to Curry’s uniform number. “You can’t really say anything else,” he added.

That is debatable. Over the course of a recent 15-minute phone interview, Myers compared Curry to the art of Rembrandt and Picasso, Hall of Fame baseball player Ken Griffey Jr., and the Golden Gate Bridge. Hyperbole from a member of the same organization? Maybe. On the other hand, Allen Iverson has described Curry as one of his favorite players, Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal routinely use the adjective “stephortless” and social media spirals into chaos every time Curry throws himself into one of his streaks.

Why? Because Curry is not limited to throwing balls for 3 points. No. He does it with three defenders on top of him like a cheap tablecloth. Beat the markers and crush hope. Score 3 points on the run and from near the food court. He smiles, dances, points and struts, turning every field shot attempt into a soap opera.

“He is a master at what he does”, He said Kevin Durant, former teammate at Golden State, current star of the Brooklyn Nets. After Curry broke Allen’s record on Tuesday, the two hugged. “I pride myself on shooting a high percentage,” Curry said. “I am proud that it helps us win games. Now, I can take pride in the longevity of reaching that number that Ray established, with the hope to push it to a number no one can reach. I never wanted to call myself “the best shooter” until I got that record. Now I feel comfortable saying it, ”he said.

Fred Kast, who spent 57 years as the official Warriors scorer before retiring last season, was the person in charge of documenting all of Curry’s 3-pointers in home games. The 82-year-old Kast took his job very seriously, which meant he went out of his way to block out crowd excitement whenever Curry started doing Curry stuff.

Now, as a fan watching games from his couch, Kast has a slightly different perspective. Because he can fully focus on the action, his appreciation for Curry has only grown. “It’s surprising when he does what most players do a lot more often,” Kast said, “which is to fail.”

Curry has bad luck nights. In a recent loss to the San Antonio Spurs, he was 7 of 28 on shooting from the field and 5 of 17 on 3-point shooting. He showed up at practice the next day with a particular look, Fraser said. Curry concluded his training the same way he always does: by trying 100 3-point shots. “He turned 93”said Fraser, who feeds Curry the ball as he moves around the perimeter.

A friend recently asked Fraser how many passes he had thrown to Curry in the past eight seasons (without any assists being credited). Had it exceeded 100,000? At first, that total sounded ludicrous to Fraser, who joined Golden State before the 2014/15 season, but then made numbers. As part of his post-practice work, Curry typically does between 300 and 500 jumps. And there are shooting sessions in the morning. And the warm-ups prior to the game. The total, according to Fraser, amounts to nearly 200,000 passes each season. “So I’m at well over a million,” Fraser said.

At the same time, Curry has a common man look, according to Rick Welts, who retired as Golden State president after last season. Curry’s size – 1.90 meters and 85 kilos, which is almost Lilliputian by NBA standards – makes him more relatable to fans, Welts said. And as players like LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo cram games with high-flying feats, Curry has elevated the humble jump shot to something special. “I can’t measure what it feels like when Giannis dunks,” Welts said. “But I can get an idea of ​​what it feels like when Steph takes that shot,” he completed.

Other 3-point pitchers, past and present, say they take indirect pleasure in Curry’s pyrotechnics. They know what it’s like to let go of a defender, find the 3-point line, and let the ball fly. “It’s an adrenaline rush every time,” said Chelsie Schweers, 32, who set the record for career triples among Division III players during her career at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia. “There’s nothing like shooting with a jump back. It’s what I like the most in the world, ”he alluded to Steph’s typical pitch.

Schweers, who made 415 3-point shots on Christopher Newport with a 46.1% efficiency, has considered Curry his favorite player since he was emerging as a mid-level college star at Davidson. At 1.70 meters, Schweers said he could be compared to Curry, as they were both relatively small. And they both knew how to shoot. “It brings a lot of joy,” said Schweers, who has spent the last 10 years playing abroad, most recently in Portugal.

By Scott Cacciola