Stephen Curry adds to rich Madison Square Garden history

NEW YORK — Stephen Curry’s record-breaking moment couldn’t have been scripted any better.

The career arc of now the greatest shooter of all time came full circle on Tuesday night (Wednesday, Manila time) at the Madison Square Garden, the mecca of basketball, where his unofficial arrival to stardom took place.

In 2013, on the second night of a back-to-back schedule against Indiana and New York, Curry had his coming-out party at the Garden with 54 points built around 11 3-pointers.

The night earlier, he hit seven 3s against the Pacers. But he lost both games.

This was before Curry and the Golden State Warriors shot their way to a dynasty run.

Curry flipped the script nearly nine years, three championships and two MVPs later. The Warriors won both games in Indiana and New York and Curry held his coronation night in the most iconic arena in the NBA.

“There’s a narrative that you can create in different places. But this place is special,” Curry told Philstar.com on his way to their team bus following the historic night. 

“There’s a lot of history here, and I added one tonight. Definitely, I’m humbled to get that type of response at the Garden. That was pretty special.”

Curry’s coronation came at the 7:33 mark of the first quarter when Andrew Wiggins zipped him a pass to the right elbow. The beauty of the shot wasn’t just about the flight of the high-arching, spinning Wilson ball towards the net. It all started with Curry’s constant movement without the ball.

“It was crazy… I got the ball coming down, and I could see everybody at the end of the stadium started to stand up slowly, and there was like a buzz,” said Curry during his post-game press conference. “So, I don’t want to rush it because I knew it can get into your head, and I don’t want to force the moment.”

There was clearly an anticipation of history unfolding as ticket prices soared, with the cheapest (excluding fees) at $468 to as high as $7,500 in the row behind the Warriors’ bench.

But the fans got their money’s worth. Curry’s historic moment unfolded like just an ordinary play for the Warriors.

When Curry saw the anticipation building up, he gave up the ball to Jordan Poole. Curry attacked the rim from the logo as if he had the ball with New York Knicks guard and his former teammate Alec Burks, trailing him. Upon reaching the arc below their basket, Curry darted to the right baseline and set a screen for Wiggins, who escaped Evan Fournier’s defense. As Wiggins caught the ball near the rim, he attracted the Knicks’ defense like a magnet. Burks’ eyes were on Wiggins for a moment. In that split second, Curry made his move and ran away from the basket toward the right elbow. He created enough space and separation from Burks.

By the time Burks rushed toward him, Curry had already launched the record-breaking shot.

“I can feel it once I took the shot. On the way, it felt good. It looked good. It felt like we were at home. It’s a special moment for sure, and I appreciate, and I will remember for the rest of my life in terms of what it means to me to pass Ray (Allen) and Reggie (Miller) — guys I looked up to.”

The ball swished the net. The whole Garden exploded.

History. His Story. Stephen Curry. pic.twitter.com/PGCpm9n0Pg

— alder almo (@alderalmo) December 15, 2021

“It was a special atmosphere. I knew the Garden would deliver in terms of how iconic this place is. Really, I can’t say enough,” Curry said. “I appreciate it so much the way the fans embraced the moment with me and let me just kind of get lost in it.”

Curry backpedaled, blowing a kiss on the air, and pumped his chest and let out a primal roar to celebrate the milestone that will surely be on top of his inevitable Hall of Fame resume when it’s all said and done.

“The moment was spectacular. It was an incredible shot. It was kind of a fadeaway, high arching 3. The degree of difficulty was there. The crowd was anticipating it. The aftermath was more emotional than I expected it to be,” Golden State coach Steve Kerr said. “It was just an outpour of support and love for Steph, seemingly all people in the building. Beautiful, beautiful moment.”

His teammates rushed to hug him, led by Draymond Green. Allen, who was in attendance to watch his record broken, and his parents Dell and Sonya, also gave him a warm embrace.

It was a poignant moment.

“It couldn’t have gone any better. To have Ray (Allen) and Reggie (Miller) here to do it in the Garden in front of these fans, just great basketball fans who appreciate the game so much. The atmosphere at the Garden is second to none. To make it happen here was really special,” Kerr added.

The shorthanded Knicks, who lost 105-96 to the Warriors after squandering an eight-point lead in the first half, did not object to the prolonged celebration in the aftermath of the record-breaking three-pointer.

While they only watched the Warriors and the whole arena celebrate in a festive mood after the shot, the Knicks key players gave Curry their flowers after the game.

“I thought it was the right thing to do to acknowledge him," Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “I had an opportunity to coach him at Team USA. He’s a classy guy. It’s the right thing to do."

Derrick Rose said it was dope. Julius Randle said it was cool.

“Great player, so it was great to witness history. It’s not like offensive, or I take offense to [the celebration],” Randle expounded.

The sellout crowd of 19,812 and the millions glued on their TV, computer and mobile screens worldwide adorned Curry for the incredible feat that he wants to push to unbreakable heights.

At 33 and at the rate he’s shooting the basketball, Curry can easily stretch it to over 4,000 threes by the time he hangs up his sneakers.

Most people would remember the iconic shot, Curry’s 2,974th 3-pointer that broke Allen’s previous record. But the staggering number — 2,977 threes and still counting — pales in comparison to how many shots Curry had made without the crowd.

The consistency and longevity reflect the work Curry put into his craft. His legacy will permanently be attached to this record more than his multiple championships and MVP
awards.

Curry changed the way the game is played.

As Kerr said, “Steph changed the way how kids think about the game.”

Curry’s phenomenal shooting has spawned legions of followers across the globe, including the basketball-crazy Philippines, which he frequently visited before the pandemic.

How quickly Curry broke Allen’s record is a testament to how the game has changed because of him. Curry completed his march to the top of the Holy Trinity of 3-point shooting in just 789 games, hitting 43% of his 6,093 3-point attempts.

Allen played 1,300 games and hit 40% of 7,429 3-point attempts to break Millers’ erstwhile record. 

Miller needed 1,389 games and made 39.5% of 6,486 3-point attempts to reach 2,560 3s.

It’s so easy to deduce players into numbers. Numbers into records. But what made this athletic feat truly special is that Curry is the antithesis of the prototype NBA superstar.

“It’s definitely a story that rings true to a lot of people who aren’t huge basketball fans. Steph appeals to everyone,” Kerr said. “Not just to hardcore fans who look up to his 3-point percentage. Fans are attracted to him because of his humility and story and how hard he’s had to work. So, from that standpoint, it transcends sports. I just think it’s a great testament to someone who’s gifted but who earned everything through [hard] work.”

Curry made history. But his story on how he got there was more remarkable.

Skinny and undersized, a 160-pound Curry was underrecruited in college. His first choice, Virginia Tech, his father’s alma mater, could only give him a walk-on spot. He ultimately went to Davidson College, a basketball program that hadn’t won an NCAA Tournament game since 1969 until Curry’s arrival.

Because of his slender frame, Curry had to learn how to avoid the defense. So, he mastered dribbling the ball. But as the defense began to load up on him from the top of the key, he had to stretch and bend it. So, he mastered shooting from the logo.

Once in the NBA, he had to survive a nagging ankle injury before he became ‘Chef Curry.’

It’s funny how fate works. Curry wanted to be a Knick. His father, Dell Curry, called all seven teams drafting ahead of the Knicks and relayed their intention. But the Warriors scuttled the plans of Curry’s camp.

The rest was history.

It was a bittersweet moment for Knicks fans to witness Curry’s coronation on the Garden floor. 

He was the one superstar that got away. Or maybe it was Curry’s destiny. There was no guarantee he would have turned into this transcendent superstar had he ended up with the Knicks, who had only two playoff appearances since Curry entered the league.

“Every time you have the opportunity to play at the Garden is special. To have the opportunity to break an all-time record here takes things to new heights. It’s just a totally different level. I think there’s not any better place in the world where it could have happened. The only thing missing here is not having Klay (Thompson). The way Steph traveled to get here, Klay is a huge part of that,” Draymond Green said.

Thompson did not join the Warriors on the trip to continue his rehab as he prepares to return from ACL and Achilles injuries. Green, Thompson, and Curry form the core of the Warriors’ sustained success in the last decade.

When Curry was asked to reflect on his journey to this milestone, his thoughts pivoted to the people who helped him make this happen. He thanked the guys who set the screens for him, the guys who gave him the ball, and the guys who bought into the Warriors’ system.

“The beautiful style of Warriors basketball — all those played into this moment. Everybody has been a part of this journey,” Curry said.

When Curry put the league on notice in February 2013, Kerr was on a plane watching the game, amazed by Curry’s shooting.

Kerr is of the same breed. He was a skinny shooter in his heydays. But those were different times. In today’s game, Kerr could have been a 3-and-D star. But Kerr was content being a role player. He was a star in his role, winning five championship rings with the Chicago Bulls, the last NBA dynasty before the Warriors.

NBA teams didn’t put premium into shooting until Curry’s breakout game snowballed into five finals appearances and three championships over LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Little did Kerr know during that plane trip that he would become a superstar coach that would truly unlock Curry’s gifts. And the one who will guide Curry to this milestone in the arena where his former team, Chicago Bulls, had iconic wins, and his best teammate, Michael Jordan, delivered iconic games.

“It’s the mecca. This is the spot. This is the place. It’s the favorite arena. When you ask the players, I would guess a majority of them would say the Garden. It’s my favorite atmosphere in the league. There’s a ton of history here. It’s New York,” Kerr said before the game.

The Madison Square Garden has mystique. There’s the New York crowd that appreciates greatness, the lights dimming on the gallery that sets the mood and the spotlights that elevates the Garden floor into some sort of a Broadway stage waiting for a great show.

Curry, an artist with flair and showmanship, stepped right into it and owned it.

“If you can’t do it at home, this [was] a great plan B,” Curry said.

New York was his plan A when he entered the league. While he didn’t end up as a Knicks great, he made sure he would achieve his crowning glory on the iconic Madison Square Garden, the world’s most famous arena.