Even though it was only a matter of time before he understood that it was only a matter of time, when the decisive moment came, Curry reacted like an ordinary person, surrounded by ecstasy and tears, and enjoyed the flowers and applause from the outside world. Before that moment, every step is a chase; after that moment, every step is a record. When Curry patted the table and confidently said that he could finally comfortably call himself the greatest goalscorer of all time, his pride overflowed.
After today's game, Curry said he had achieved his childhood dream. But even Curry himself, I'm afraid he didn't dare to expect today. In fact, just a while after Curry joined the NBA in the draft, it is doubtful whether he has such ambitions. In the first 2 seasons, although Curry's total three-point shooting number can be in the top 10 in the league, the total number of shots is around 20 in the league, and the third season is ruined by injuries. At that time, Curry did not show any signs of leaving a name in the NBA three-point list.
The shift came in 2012–13, the fourth season of his career. This season, Curry greatly improved the total number of three-point shots and hits, reaching 600 and 272 respectively, and has since begun a five-season three-point journey of "shooting the most and shooting the most". During this period, Curry was selected as an All-Star, elected MVP, won the championship and won 73 wins in a single season. While winning glory with three points, he also established his position in the NBA with three points. The 2015-16 season became his iconic season, with 886 three-pointers and 402 hits, impressive.
The next 3 seasons were Curry's dormant period. The Warriors' dynasty fell apart after chasing three consecutive championships and fell to the bottom. Curry, who was once again approached by injuries, also gave up the title of "the most shots and the most hits" to Harden. In the 2020-21 season, Curry regained the lost throne (801 shots, 337 hits). This season, Curry continues to occupy the throne, and the Warriors' record has also picked up, until today ushered in the fateful moment.
In summary, Curry's explosiveness and durability in three-point projection are breathtaking. Starting with season 4 of his career, curry still used 511 games less than Ray Allen after an injury. Previously, some people always lamented that Curry's victory and the rise of the Warriors Dynasty "came very suddenly", and Curry's attack on the three-point king was also without warning.
Curry's crowning of the three-point king also became the most perfect footnote of the era. After Curry officially reached the top today, some US media compared Curry's rookie season, championship season and the season when the NBA just introduced the three-point rule, and the average three-point shot and hit number of NBA teams per game can be described as a world of difference. Curry was born in tune with the times and promoted the development of the times. While people are still searching for the right words to define today's NBA, Curry's crowning of the three-point king has finally made people realize that the so-called "era of flanking kings" and "small-ball era" are weak compared to the "three-point era (or shooter era)".
If "whether it can represent an era" as a measure of whether a player is a contemporary "NBA first person", in today's era, except for Curry, basically does not think about the second person. McCann's appearance stipulates that basketball is a giant's sport; Russell has elevated defense to unparalleled heights; the emergence of black and white males marks the NBA's exit from the quagmire of the 70s and re-embraces a glorious tomorrow; Jordan's appearance provides the world with a classic example of how a dynasty without top centers can build a dynasty, and also makes the NBA reach its peak.
After Jordan, Kobe, Duncan, James and Durant appeared one after another, and the "GOAT battle" between Jokojan was also hyped to the extreme during the hit "The Last Dance". But even if James and Durant win more championships and how to reach the pinnacle of personal honors, they are also re-following the path pioneered by their predecessors and have not been branded with the distinctive characteristics of this era. Many years later, when we tell our juniors that the NBA had a "three-point era", who will be the first person in our minds?
Of course, this does not in any way detract from the greatness of James and Durant, just as Russell's contemporaries also had Chamberlain, black and white contemporaries also had Dr. J and Abdul-Jabbar, and Jordan's contemporaries also had four centers and Utah. There should not be only one definition of greatness: some people can re-embark on the road ahead, but they can carry forward, or let the miracles that once seemed out of reach reappear, we call it greatness; and some people can also call it greatness by opening up a new road and becoming a tide of the times, permanently changing the face of the NBA and basketball.
Next, Curry still has many honors to chase, such as hitting 3,000 three-pointers, such as the fourth crown of his career, such as the MVP trophy of the first career finals. After all, Curry will raise the threshold of the NBA's three-point king very high, becoming a historical record that will never be shaken as 100 points per game, 50+20 per game in a single season, and eight consecutive championships.
It is our pleasure to be contemporary of Curry. Today is history! (Supine Braces/Hairy)