Every Aspect of Curry’s Historic Night Was Perfect
Photo: Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE/Getty Images via AFP)
From his paper ankle days to who we know him now to be, here’s what made Steph Curry’s record-breaking night in MSG so perfect.
Stephen Curry’s Special Night Was Perfect
Last night, in the mecca of basketball, we all witnessed history. Steph Curry, already with the mantle of the greatest shooter ever, cemented himself into the record books, again. The anticipation in MSG was thick in the air. Every time he so much as touched the ball, the crowd rose to their feet, phones out, ready to witness history.
When Curry hit that shot, number 2974, everything was perfect. From the setting, the buildup, and the sheer magnitude of what Curry accomplished, you couldn’t write a better coronation for the NBA’s biggest game-changer.
The Buildup
It was clear that the Warriors wanted to get Curry the record with a big night. When he was 16 three-pointers away against Portland, he chucked up 17 3’s in an attempt to not only break Ray Allen’s record but also break teammate Klay Thompson’s record for three’s in a game (14). While that didn’t happen, you could tell the intentions were there.
The Warriors planed to rest him against Indiana on Monday when he was seven 3-pointers away from the record. They, like the rest of us, wanted an explosion in the Garden to break Ray’s record. But Curry still played against Indiana and hit five 3’s in a tight contest. Had that game gone to overtime, Curry would have beaten the record in the temple of Reggie Miller, not the temple of basketball itself.
So when Curry his that shot, his 2nd 3-pointer of the 1st quarter, it made it all the more better that we were in New York.
The Background
Curry’s history with the Knicks has been well-documented over the years. In 2009, when Curry was a top-10 prospect coming out of Davidson, he wanted to go to the Knicks. The Knicks held the 8th pick in that year’s draft and were in the market for Curry. The lowly Warriors, who held the 7th pick, also wanted Curry. Curry tried to avoid the Warriors at all costs. Statements like these read funny nowadays, knowing all that Curry has accomplished as a Warrior;
According to current Hawks GM Travis Schlenk, who was Golden State’s assistant GM from 2004-2017, Curry’s representation also wanted him to be a Knick, going as far as sending a text message that read, “please don’t take Steph.”
In a 2015 story for Yahoo Sports, Marc Spears of the Undefeated shared how the same sentiment was also held by Steph’s father, Dell, who also believed that New York was the right place for his son, not Golden State.
But we all know how things unfolded. Curry was taken 7th overall by the Warriors, with the Knicks left to take Jordan Hill out of Arizona at #8. Hill was traded midway through his rookie season as part of the deal that sent T-Mac to the Knicks. It’s safe to say one of these picks worked out and the other did not.
The setting of MSG was not only perfect to break the record, but it was also perfect for Curry himself. There’s a universe somewhere where Curry wears orange instead of yellow and accomplishes this greatness in front of Spike Lee, not the Bay Area.
There’s also a universe where Curry never accomplished any of this at all. A universe where the world never got to know the skinny kid from North Carolina.
The Ankles
Before Steph Curry was a unanimous MVP, he was the guy with paper ankles. It was clear to see that Curry was a talented player. Even with Monta Elis in the backcourt with him for his formative years, Curry always stood out on the court. The problem was, his ankles never let him be on the court.
After a rookie season that saw him play 80 games (77 starts) and make the All-Rookie First Team, you would think the problem was nonexistent. But trouble would start to brew during Curry’s second season in 2011.
Curry injured his ankle in the preseason of that year, proceeding to battle ankle injuries for the rest of the season. While he still played 78 games, plays like these were signs of the misfortune Curry was about to experience.
At the end of that 2011 season, Curry had surgery to repair torn ligaments in his ankle. With a lockout-shortened 2012 season, the hope was that Curry would remain healthy. This was not the case.
Curry again dealt with ankle injuries to his surgically repaired ankle. He only played 26/66 games during the shortened season. Curry missed the final two months of the season with injury, going under another ankle procedure to try and fix things.
As this was unfolding, a Curry trade to Milwaukee was in the works. Monta Ellis was eventually traded there instead of Curry, but the deal almost happened. In the 2013 draft, the Bucks took Giannis Antetokounmpo. This might be the craziest what-if of the 2010s and it nearly happened;
…if they traded Steph Curry to the Bucks for Andrew Bogut. That was the deal. But the Bucks’ medical staff didn’t think Steph’s ankle would hold up. That killed the deal. It’s luck. And that’s fine.
Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry about the potential deal back in 2012.
Former Warriors GM Larry Riley also said that Curry started the trade talks between the two teams. Saying;
“Absolutely. The only way to get the trade started was to let them start talking about Steph Curry. That’s like fishing, you throw some bait out there. I wanted to switch to Monta [Ellis] all along. But in order to get a conversation going, we had to do that.”
The Warriors doubled down on this gamble, rewarding Curry with a 4-year contract extension before the 2012-13 season. Curry played 78 games that offseason, but his ankle problems still swirled over his career like a dark cloud. That all changed during the 2013 offseason.
Golden State hired Keke Lyles as the Director of Performance. Lyles had been watching Curry from afar, seeing the issues that the youngster was going through. Lyles formulated a plan not only to keep Curry on the floor, but transform him into the player he is today.
Lyles’s new training regimen focused on strength, primarily in the hips and core. The goal was to take the stress off of Curry’s ankles. Physically, Curry would now be able to do things he had never done before. Mentally, it freed his mind from thinking of when the next ankle injury might come.
While Curry has dealt with ankle injuries here and there, he has been able to remain healthy. He’s transformed the game of basketball because he’s simply on the floor.
His ankles nearly cost him his career, not only with the Warriors, but in the NBA as a whole. After years of struggles, Curry persevered through everything and is now the player we know today, who isn’t thinking about ankle injuries as he runs around the court like a mad man.
The Celebration
In 2011, when Allen broke the record, the celebration certainly wasn’t as grand. While Steve Kerr was working the booth at TNT, the game didn’t stop when Allen broke the record. Instead, Kobe Bryant went down and attacked Allen in the mid-post, because he’s Kobe.
Steve Kerr and company declared that they weren’t going to do that with Steph. In the hours before the game, they decided to direct a player to intentially foul the Knicks after Curry broke the record. On top of that, Kerr would call a timeout.
In this instance, Kevon Looney took the personal foul, allowing Curry to have his euphoric moment. The timeout ended up lasting 3.5 minutes, which I’m sure Kerr and company appreciated.
Draymond Green, whose arms were in the air before Curry even broke the record, was the first one to hug Curry, a fitting image from Curry’s best teammate over the years. After the game, Curry gave both Green and Andre Iguodala next rolex watches as a sign of gratitude.
Curry gave the game ball to his father Dell, who was sitting courtside. He met with his mother Sonya before meeting with two other shooters at center court. You might’ve heard of them before.
Just your average conversation between Steph Curry, Ray Allen, and Reggie Miller, three of the finest shooters ever to walk this planet.
But I think the best moment from all of this, between all the hugs, laughs, and tears, was this moment with Curry after the game. During his post game interview, Curry said this, which was the perfect ending to a perfect night.
Portland Trail Blazers (111-107 L)
I don’t know what to say at this point. Nothing with this team ever changes. It’s the same problems, the same frustrations, year in and year out. It’s maddening to watch this team never grow. To just stay the same, even after all of these years of failure.
While I would love to say we gave it our all against the reigning Western Conference champs, we should have won this game. Powell and Nurkic each missed free throws down the stretch of regulation that would have won us the game. The defense was nonexistent, with Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton tearing us apart in the pick-and-roll.
While the game was close, you could tell it was only a matter of time before the Suns pulled away. Unlike Portland, the Suns have a team with resolve, one that can band together when things are rough.
Interim GM Joe Cronin can be as optimistic as he likes, but this team desperately needs to rebuild. He can talk about “re-tooling” all he wants, but that same mindset with Olshay got us nowhere. It’s time to face the facts.
Dame’s abdominal injury is slowing him down. CJ McCollum isn’t worth the money we’re giving him. Nurkic and Covington are likely going to leave this offseason. We don’t have money to add/trade/re-sign anybody. The depth on this team is poor. We don’t have any first-round picks.
This team is stuck. As of right now, I don’t think we’re making the playoffs. This is why, for the thousandth time, I am asking for a rebuild. Just start from scratch. Please?
NBA Net Rating Power Rankings (The Athletic)
A few weeks ago, I got the paid sports service The Athletic. After hearing a lot of good things about it, I finally decided to try it out. Since I’m already talking about one of their articles, we’re on the right track.
Zach Harper used a team’s quarter-by-quarter net rating to rank them as a team. From the contenders to the rebuilders, there was a lot of weird data shown in this article. Here were some of my personal favorites.
The Warriors’ 3rd Quarter Artistry
1st QTR: +4.5 net rating (10th)
2nd QTR: +6.8 net rating (6th)
3rd QTR: +24.3 net rating (1st)
4th QTR: +12.9 net rating (3rd)
Clutch: -0.2 net rating (13th) – (6-4 record)
The Warriors are an elite first-half team. They outplay their opponents consistently, but it’s not complete domination. That comes in the 2nd half, where the Warriors wipe the floors with the competition. A +24 net rating in the 3rd? A +13 net rating in the 4th? WTF!
I don’t know how you prepare for this team in the 2nd half. It doesn’t matter what adjustments you do or don’t make. In the blink of an eye, the Warriors can make a game lopsided like no other.
The only blemish is the net rating in the clutch, but even that is narrowly below average. Even with a subpar rating in the clutch, the Warriors have a winning record.
Harper touches on how the past Warriors’ contending teams have done in the 3rd quarter. Spoiler alert: this Warriors’ team is on pace to be the best version yet.
2014-15 season (67-15, championship): +14.5 net rating in the 3rd
2015-16 season (73-9, lost Finals): +12.9 net rating in the 3rd
2016-17 season (67-15, championship): +23.0 net rating in the 3rd
2017-18 season (58-24, championship): +17.3 net rating in the 3rd
2018-19 season (57-25, lost Finals): +11.7 net rating
Those numbers are crazy, but the Warriors have been better than ever in the 3rd quarter, and the numbers back that up.
Nobody Beat The Nets Down The Stretch
1st QTR: -0.4 net rating (17th)
2nd QTR: +6.7 net rating (T-7th)
3rd QTR: +5.9 net rating (8th)
4th QTR: +1.7 net rating (8th)
Clutch: +34.8 net rating (3rd) – (10-3 record)
The Nets are a solid team overall. In the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th quarters, they’re consistently better than their opponent. Last season, it was all about blowing teams out of the water. This season, it’s about ripping their hearts out.
The Nets are unbelievably good in the clutch, especially with how many of their games have been close this season. These stats were pulled from before last night’s game against the Raptors, which, you guessed it, came down to the wire.
The Nets’ ability to bail themselves out late in games is as much of a strength as it is a weakness. But, to be honest, I don’t think anybody can care about this news when The Athletic reported this a few days ago.
“…but sources have indicated a renewed belief that Irving could play this season after all. In recent weeks, Irving and KD, his co-star and close friend, have had increased communication about his fit on the team, breaking down the games, and about life in general, sources added. There appears to be an increased level of enthusiasm between the two superstars.”
Shams’ article about the Kyrie Irving situation (December 12th, The Athletic)
Forget about how good the Nets are in the clutch. That won’t matter if Irving comes back. Having Irving on the floor would make everything easier for the Nets. James Harden would have to do less, KD could take more plays off, the bench wouldn’t be as big of a liability.
While it would give us less parody, having Kyrie back on the floor would make the Nets more comparable to Milwaukee and Golden State.
The Spurs Are A Sandwich
1st QTR: +9.8 net rating (3rd)
2nd QTR: -10.5 net rating (29th)
3rd QTR: -11.3 net rating (28th)
4th QTR: +13.6 net rating (2nd)
Clutch: -5.9 net rating (20th) – (3-9 record)
I can’t fathom how this happens. Do the Spurs start games well because they surprise their opponents? That’s the most logical reason I can think of as to why they’re this good to start games.
The 4th quarter net rating is a little inflated because of blowouts, but I think that the Spurs could salvage a good season out of these numbers. If they weren’t so bad in the middle of games, they would be more competitive than 10-16.
Instead of being double-digits into the negative, how about -5 for each quarter? That’s still not great, but it’s easier to win that way instead of what the Spurs currently have.
As Zach Harper put it;
“The San Antonio Spurs have created a feces sandwich in these games with their numbers.”
Rapid-Fire Edition
- The Magic have a double-digit negative net rating in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd quarters. But, they’re a +36.2 in the clutch and they have a 4-7 record.
- The New Orleans Pelicans have a -56.9 net rating in the clutch. Yikes.
- The Blazers are no longer elite in the clutch. After years of stealing wins down the stretch, they currently have a -18.5 net rating in the clutch, ranked 24th in the NBA.
- The Knicks have a 1st quarter net rating of -9.5 and a 3rd quarter net rating of -6.8. No matter how you slice it, the starters lose them games.
- The Indiana Pacers have a +12.4 net rating in the 1st quarter and a -18.0 net rating in the clutch this season. When the pressure becomes greater, this team folds like a chair.
- The Cavs starters are the opposite of the New York Knicks. In the first quarter, it’s a net rating of +12.6. In the 3rd, it’s a +10.1. The bench is the reason the Cavs lose games.
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