Warriors’ fans got what they wanted.
No, Team Curry didn’t win the Shooting Stars event, but the two-time All-Star alongside his newest All-Star teammate, Klay Thompson, enlightened the Barclays Center crowd on what Golden State fans have known for years.
These guys are special.
On a glacial night in Brooklyn, the Splash Brothers lit up the otherwise reticent New York crowd. This was Curry’s fourth time in the event while Thompson was participating in his first. Curry is the NBA’s newest superstar and just weeks after scoring 37 points on a single quarter, Thompson is no longer considered a sidekick either.
In a historically difficult field – which included James Harden, Kyle Korver, Wes Matthews, JJ Redick, Marco Belinelli and Kyrie Irving – Curry and Thompson were two of the favorites. Curry was listed at 13/4 before the competition with Thompson at 7/2 odds.
“It was a crazy, competitive and high-class field of eight shooters,” said Curry. “I think this is the best field that’s ever been in a three-point shootout, so it’s a pretty cool moment for me.”
Like the dunk contest following, the three-point contest lived up to the weeks of hype and angst, especially for fans of Golden State. Curry opened his contest with a score of 23 with Thompson next up with 24, the highest score of the opening round.
The arena was largely quiet for most of the night, but Wes Matthews let it be known early that this contest would change that. The Shooting Stars and Skills Challenge are largely seen as mandated sponsored fairs than actual competitions, and the crowd seemed to know it too.
Another downside of the night was the broadcasting of both Kenny Smith and Reggie Miller throughout the arena. The crowd wasn’t feeling them at all, and judging from social media reactions neither were the viewers at home. Shaq and Charles Barkley were missed as well, who either decided or didn’t care enough to actually commentate the proceedings.
With the amount of sponsorships in such events, it’s very doubtful the NBA makes major changes to such events. Instead, it’s been minor format changes that don’t alter the excitement for anyone watching.
With the pace of the game constantly increasing, the amount of threes climbing and the importance team’s put on stretching the floor, the three-point contest isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. As seen on Saturday night, the Splash Brothers should have automatic invitations for the rest of their careers.
Joining Curry and Thompson in the final round was previous champion Irving, who scored 23 of his own in the first round but followed that up with a modest 17. Curry was next, and had the best round he’s ever recorded in the contest with 27, including 13 straight at one point.
“I knew I had done pretty well, finishing strong with that second round,” Curry said. “But Klay, I looked in his eyes. He’s obviously capable of 37 in a quarter, so he can probably knock down a couple of threes and get a high number.”
No one knows better than Curry or Warriors’ fans how hot Thompson can get, so even though 27 seemed like an insurmountable score, there was still hope. But alas, Thompson was unable to outshine the MVP front-runner and teammate with 15 in the final round.
“I could have gotten 28, but that’s all right,” Thompson said. That’s the way the ball bounces sometimes. Hopefully, we’ll go against each other another time in our career.”
The talk around Oracle Arena and the Bay Area centered around the possibility of their backcourt to somehow, someway be the final two standing in the competition. Like the weekend, it was a proud moment for those that have followed both careers up to this point.
“It was kind of cool for all of Dub Nation to have a 50/50 shot, with one of us winning and bringing it back to the area,” Curry stated. “Pretty cool. Couldn’t have planned that one any better.”
With their head coach Steve Kerr at the helm, the memories will surely continue for both as well as Warriors fans, who have been rewarded this season with the NBA’s best record and now, two All-Star starters. Let the splashing continue.