The record-breaking wasn’t just the doing of Steph Curry. He revolutionized the way basketball is played. The 3-point arc was added to the NBA in 1980 – most coaches regarded it as a gimmick. Then a smaller guard, with a quick release and massive range appeared.
He also scored 402 threes in 2016, a feat that was matched by just one team only that same year. The article details why for so long the 3-pointer was discarded, what it took for Curry to make that shot so special, and what the league did to ensure it’s addressed.
No One Saw It Coming
The NBA introduced the 3-point line in 1980, but it didn’t impact the game much in the beginning. Celtics coach Red Auerbach dismissed it, claiming that the league didn’t need it. Many coaches saw it as a pop up advertisement and not a means to score games.
One of the challenges was interpreting people’s shooting numbers. A 50% two-pointer seemed to be the better option than a 40% three-point, as 50 is greater than 40. Actually, a 40% three will give the same points as a 60% two. Even 3-time All-Star All-Time scorer George Gervin called the 3 shot in basketball the worst.
No one practiced it either! Most scorers were around the basket; jumped high and shot over defenders. Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant played this style. As great a shooter as Larry Bird was, he only shot 203 threes during his first 3 seasons with his first coach.
Inventing the New Style
The league moved the line closer in 1995 and attempts increased by 50%. However, the majority of players who fired a lot of three-point shots were spot up players who waited for a pass. Few attempted to take a shot on the dribble.
It was one of those shooters who was Curry’s father, Dell. He wasn’t jumping, but a nice fast flick of his wrist. When Steph began high school he was just 5-foot-6, which made him a player that had to shoot over taller players. He duplicated his father’s one-motion shot and continually worked on it. He bends his knees, then rises up lifting the ball up with his feet off the ground and dropping it just after his hops off the ground.
Thanks to a release point just eight feet off the ground, just under LeBron James, he’s a very close-to-the-ground player. The range comes from the power given by his legs, however. In 2016, Curry took 219 threes from 27 to 40 feet away and made 44%. The other teams in the league averaged 24%. The small guys like Trae Young soon followed suit.
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Leading the Arms Race
Teams were already using tracking cameras and analytics by the mid-2010s and were discovering that the three were valuable. It was Curry who upped the ante. There was a 41% increase in league-wide 3’s attempts over four years after his season.
It was evident that the teams needed to adapt their defence. The big man who used to handle all the bumps were now ineffective at their new duty of chasing shooters. Defenses brought in some quickness, more switching and new tricks. Teams were able to trap Curry at half court, double team him without the ball and even get him into a box-and-1. His ability to draw defenders away from the game got people to start calling him “gravity.He began to be called “gravity” for his ability to take defenders away from the action.
Coach Steve Kerr was also a big help. He was able to build a motion offense around Curry being constantly in motion and to push for deep shots in 2015. Curry had more 3-point attempts from 5 or more feet out of the 2016-17 season than the next four players combined. Defenders retreated – he fired. When big men don’t come out on a screen, he takes a shot from 30 yards away.
Why Steph Curry’s Impact Still Matters
Prior to Curry, the top location on the basketball court was around the rim. He demonstrated that there could be an elite shooter who is as efficient over an area that is much larger. With an average of 30.1 points off 67% true shooting, he is the first unanimous player in NBA history to earn the MVP award in 2016.
Now, the defenses were allowed to defend the basket only. They played a game that required them to defend a boundary some 75 feet in circumference around the court.Their task was to defend a line that reached approximately 75 feet around the court. Since then, no game has been the same.
FAQs
1.How many times did Curry shoot for a 3-point shot in 2016?
He made 402. Curry set a mark that used to take an entire team, as the first team to reach 400 points in a season was the 1994 Houston Rockets.
2.Why did the coaches not take advantage of the 3-point shot at the beginning?
Many people thought of it as a gimmick. Their emphasis were on raw shooting percentage, meaning a 50% two was better than a 30% three.
3.What makes Curry’s shot different?
He drops the ball about eight feet off the ground, and shoots it lower and quicker than most of the stars. He is not to be powered by his legs, but by extra height.
4.What does “gravity” mean in basketball?
A great shooter attracts defenders to him when he does not have the ball. Teams played a box-and-1 as well as double-teaming Curry.
5.Did Curry truly deserve to be a unanimous MVP?
Yes. It was the first time in NBA history he won the MVP unanimously in 2016. Led the league in scoring his year with 30.1 points and a 67% true shooting percentage.
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