Steph wants to set an unbreakable three-point record, but sees one threat originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
A few days after James Harden passed Ray Allen to move into second place on the NBA career list for three-pointers made, he shared a hug with the man in first place.
That’s about as close as Stephen Curry wants anyone to get to his constantly updated total.
“You hope to take the song there – and you know the intention is to break all records; that’s how sports work, that’s how life works — but I’m hoping, with the volume and the accuracy, it will be a number that’s very, very difficult to break,” Curry said on NBC Sports Bay Area’s “Dubs Talk.” debuted Wednesday.
“Very similar to some LeBron [James] holds the all-time scoring record. There’s a lot to it, so maybe we can take it a step further. Then no one can touch it.”
Through November 19, Curry has made 3,788 three-pointers. Harden stood at 2,977, four more than the previous record holder Ray Allen. The others – Damian Lillard, Reggie Miller and Klay Thompson – have surpassed the 2,500 mark, but only Curry has climbed the 3,000 mountain.
There’s a chance he climbs to 4,000 this season.
“It’s definitely something to look forward to, a clean 4,000 number,” Curry said. “When I got to 2,974, it was special, knowing that was the record that (Allen) held for so long. Three thousand was special when I reached that milestone. Even 402 at the time (2015-2016), the record for a single season. They all matter because I am blessed to be able to do this at the highest level. The fact that it is even feasible is wild to me.”
The numbers are rising in a blur because the game has changed not only since the turn of the century, but also in the decade beginning 2020. Teams averaged, per game, 2.0 3-shots from deep in 1980-81. season, it rose to 13.7 in 2000-2001 and this season they are on pace to average around 40 attempts per game.
At this rate, Curry, 36, has an outside chance of reaching 5,000 — and that total wouldn’t be safe for long.
The 35-year-old Harden admitted that he will never catch up to Curry, that a deficit of about 800 triples is simply too much to overcome in his final seasons. But there is one person Curry considers a legitimate threat: Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards.
“There’s a lot of focus on how well he shoots the ball,” Curry said of his teammate at the 2024 Paris Olympics. “We talked to Team USA a little bit this summer about how you’re evolving, your style and the way you see the game as you get deeper into your career.
“He’s only 23, so he still has a long way to go.”
Edwards is on target. He has played 316 games through Nov. 19 and has 67 triples in the league this season and 856 in his career. He will probably go past 1,000 this season.
Curry was 26 years old when he reached 1,000, which marked his 369th game.
“Anytime you see how guys start the year and the list I’m on, I think he’s had two years of this number of 3s in the first (few) games of the season, and he’s third on that list” , Curry said. from Edwards. “The perspective of shooting 3s, the volume that goes on around every team and in the league, it’s definitely a different world. So think anything is possible at this point.
“I wonder how far this can go, because it seems to be reaching a breaking point. This style has a threshold or a limit. Everyone’s playing songs, and they just want to get as many of them on as possible. So we’ll see how it goes.”
It’s going up, Steph. Three will always be more than two, so the math dictates an increase – at least in the near future.
Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast
