The Warriors' highlight reel in their 127-108 loss to the Utah Jazz on Saturday night isn't a long one. Turnovers, poor defense and empty offensive possessions plagued them from the tip.
But there was a moment that sweetened the blow. At the start of the third quarter, Steph Curry drove into the lane, kicked the ball out to Draymond Green, relocated to the corner, and hit the shot off a quick pass from Green, knocking down 3-pointer No. 2,561 to pass Reggie Miller for second place on the all-time 3-point list. It was a quintessential Steph Curry shot.
Curry made five 3-pointers against the Jazz and now sits 411 made 3-pointers behind Hall of Famer Ray Allen for No. 1.
Curry was just a minute into his post-game Zoom press conference when get got a virtual visit from the player he had just passed on the list.
"Oh! What up Reg," Curry shouted as he saw Miller pop up in one of the boxes on the screen. Miller's son, Ryker, was with him and informed Curry that he owned all of his jerseys.
"Congratulations," Miller told Curry. "This is an unbelievable achievement. But the work is not done. I know you are chasing Ray, but you are an inspiration to so many little ones, like mine. I'm just so proud of all the work because I know what goes into that. I know the countless hours when it's easy to go hang with your boys, hit the clubs, sleep, do other things, but you're in the lab getting your work done.
"There are sacrifices that come with that and the blend that you have with your family and basketball and Dub Nation, the Millers are very proud of you."
The appreciation Curry felt at that moment could be seen on his face. Miller was someone Curry grew up watching and tried to model parts of his game after. Even now, Curry tries to imitate Miller -- attempted to hold his follow-through on the last shot during warm ups. No words needed to be said for Curry's gratitude to be expressed, but of course, he responded.
"To try and live out that competitive juice, the work that goes in, the appreciation of every game I get to play, to shoot the ball at this level, to follow in your footsteps in that regard means a lot," Curry said. "So I appreciate the support you and Ray, to have two guys reach back and encourage me like you all have means a lot. So I'll pass that torch on as well."
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Miller warned that when Curry breaks Allen's record, he shouldn't leave the door too wide open, for Miller's son will be right there to catch him. It might very well be done. But the fashion in which Curry has gotten to the No. 2 all-time spot will be hard to replicate.
It took Miller 1,388 games to reach 2,560 made threes, while Curry did so in just 715 games. At Curry's current 3-point pace -- 4.1 made threes per game -- it would take him just over 100 games to catch Allen. But with only 57 games remaining in the shortened 72-game 2020-21 season, it won't likely be until next season that Currey does so.
Curry has always shot with accuracy, which is why he is highly regarded as the greatest shooter of all time. His 43.3 career 3-point percentage ranks seventh all-time and leads all players in the top 200 in 3-pointers made. But then again, Curry has changed the way basketball is played.
Ever since he entered the NBA in 2009, Curry has continued to extend his shooting range, inspiring the players coming up behind him. Now, 3-point shooting is being heavily coached starting in AAU, and every position is expected to have some sore of 3-point shooting ability.
Curry never imagined that he would have the impact on basketball that he has had. For him, it was all about work. And if his game is what inspires the next wave of players to work, he's all for it.
"Obviously the next generation of kids, it's great to try and shoot the ball like that, to have all that creativity to stretch your range, but fortunately for me, I grew up in the game and understood what went on behind closed doors," Curry said. "You grind and you put the time in and that's something I pride myself on for sure. Then it shows in the game. Obviously for me, not being the most gifted athlete in terms of being able to jump and run as fast as everybody, that's what I rely on."
Curry's hard work has resulted in him not only being an excellent 3-point shooter but one who can thrive in many different situations and off different looks.
According to coach Steve Kerr, this is what sets Curry, in addition to Allen, apart from all the other great shooters.
"What defines Steph is his ability to hit the threes on or off the dribble," Kerr said before Saturday's game. "Either on the dribble with all of his movement or playing off the ball and that's probably where he and Ray Allen are most alike.
"Steph and Ray in my mind are the two greatest ever in terms of the diversity of their 3-point shots, which is why they're going to be atop that list. The ability to shoot it in so many different ways is just an incredible threat for defenses to have to deal with."
RELATED: Miller congratulates Curry on Twitter
As Miller told Curry, his work is far from over. And Curry knows that -- with personal records, but also with his team. But at that moment, when Curry hit a shot that perfectly encapsulated who he is as a shooter, he stopped thinking about the work ahead of him and basked in where his work has gotten him this far.
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January 24, 2021 at 01:18PM
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Miller crashes Steph's Zoom to offer congrats on 3-point mark - NBC Sports Bay Area
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