Stephen Curry sets new NBA record for most 3-pointers made in one postseason
Stephen Curry added another record to his illustrious Most Valuable Player-winning season with this 3-point make with 4:32 remaining in the second quarter of Game 3 of the Western Conference finals between the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets:
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That triple was Curry’s 59th of this postseason, a new NBA record for most 3-point makes in a single playoff run. Hall of Fame sharpshooter Reggie Miller had the previous mark, with 58 during the Indiana Pacers’ march to the NBA Finals in 2000.
Miller needed 22 games and 147 attempts to set his record. Curry needed 13 games and 138 attempts.
It was Curry’s second 3-pointer of Game 3, and it was an absolute bomb — Rockets defender Jason Terry gave too much ground as Curry stepped toward a screen, so Steph just pulled up from 29 feet away and splashed the jumper. It’s just … I mean, what do you do about that?
Earlier this season, Curry broke the NBA record for made 3-pointers in a single season — a record he already owned. He reached 1,000 made triples faster than any other player in league history. And now, he’s got the single-postseason 3-point crown, too, firing up more than 11 3-pointers per playoff game to this point — a number that seems absurd until you realize that, given his accuracy, it’d be crazy not to let it fly that often. With all due respect to “The Grindfather,” we’ve never seen anything like this; when it comes to long-range shooting, the record books are little more than a blank page on which Stephen Curry’s writing new stories each and every time he takes the floor.
If the Warriors can make good on their 2-0 lead and advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1975, Curry — who entered Saturday’s contest at Toyota Center averaging 29.1 points, 6.6 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.8 steals in 38.6 minutes per playoff game, shooting 46.3 percent from the floor, 42.5 percent from beyond the arc and 81.3 percent at the line (a number which, to be honest, feels shockingly low) — will have the chance to get the record he really wants. From Sam Amick of USA TODAY:
“You know what mark I want?” he said just before walking away. “Danny Green’s.”
That would be San Antonio Spurs guard Danny Green, of course, who broke Ray Allen’s record for most three-pointers made in an NBA Finals (27) two years ago while the Warriors watched from home.
If Curry keeps up his torrid pace and the Rockets can’t find some answers quickly, the Warriors won’t be watching this June. They’ll be hosting, welcoming either the Cleveland Cavaliers or the Atlanta Hawks to the not-so-friendly confines of Oracle Arena for a date with both destiny and the game’s preeminent flamethrower.
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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
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