Record trey
Doc Rivers and Steve Kerr were in the building the last time the record for career three-point shots made changed hands. Ten years and 10 months ago, the two had a front-row seat to Ray Allen’s takeover of the top spot from Reggie Miller as head coach of the Celtics and broadcast analyst, respectively. They marveled at the feat then, and because the 10-time All-Star would go on to add 413 more to the aggregate over the next three and a half years, it seemed like one of those slates that figured to stand the test of time.
Boy, were Rivers and Kerr wrong. To be fair, no one could have predicted with any modicum of accuracy the effect advanced analytics would have on the boom in three pointers over the last decade. And, considering all that has transpired in the period, it’s fair to argue that two-time Most Valuable Player awardee Stephen Curry deserves at least as much credit for revolutionizing the sport. Indeed, his inevitable assumption of the throne behind the arc — and, in his case, closer to midcourt — underscores the role he has played in getting all and sundry to embrace the trey.
Purists have contended that Curry’s unparalleled range has led to unintended consequences. The midrange is all but dead, and big men — with the exception of generational stars like Anthony Davis and Joel Embiid — have been devalued to the point of irrelevance. At the same time, however, there can be no denying the lure and allure of the weightiest shot any player can have on his arsenal. It’s just a matter of math, really; there are only so many possessions to have in the course of a game, and it behooves teams to use them to secure the best opportunities to score. And, bottom line, three is one and a half times more valuable than two.
Which was why longtime hoops habitues were tuned in to the Sixers’ homestand against the Warriors yesterday. Heck, even diehard fans at the Wells Fargo Center wanted Curry to break the record. And rightly so. No better time to see history unfold than on their watch. When the battlesmoke cleared, however, the 21,016 warm bodies on hand had to settle for victory for the red, white, and blue. Allen is still on Everest, but the countdown shows he won’t be for long. The inevitable is coming — if for no other reason than because a certain 6’3″ guard has stood tallest in the National Basketball Association for some time now.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
