Analyzing Stephen Curry's hot form and looking at 3 major 3-pointer records that he has already equalled or broken so far in the 2021-22 NBA season
Stephen Curry, with each game, reminds us that magical realism is not a thought restricted to Gabriel Garcia Marquez's Macondo. That magic can happen every night on a court. Real magic, not tricks and cards and slight of hand. But a human shooting a ball from 30+ feet into an 18 inch wide metal ring while being shoved and stopped by men far bigger than him night after night.
Now, there are a lot of players who shoot long-range threes. Multiple of them almost every night. Take Buddy Hield for example. Statistically, he is the second most impactful three-point shooter this season. At a rate of 4.3 threes per game, he has shot 68 three-pointers in 16 games.
Curry, by comparison, has played 15 games and landed 85 shots from downtown at a rate of 5.7 threes per game. With one less game, Curry shot 17 more three-pointers than the current second best shooter in the league.
The magnificence of the "King beyond the Arc" has been on full display this season. Stephen Curry is on a mission to break every possible shooting record. An existing member of the prestigious 50-40-90 club, there aren't many shooting records left for Curry to break. Even lesser are the three-point records, on most of which the Golden State Warriors maestro's only competition is himself.
Three records Stephen Curry has broken so far in 2021-22 NBA season
In honor of the indisputable GOAT of shooting, the player who is credited for changing the way basketball is played in the "modern era," we take look at three three-point records Stephen Curry has equalled/broken this season.
#1 408 three-pointers in a calendar year
Stephen Curry has made 399 3-pointers in 2021 (reg. season games only).
That's the most in a calendar year in NBA history.
The Warriors still have 21 games left this year. https://t.co/ma26xTnsIg
Curry has shot 408 three-pointers in 2021. These numbers only include regular season data. In just 15 games, Curry has already shot 85 three-pointers, the most by any player in the first 15 games of a season.
The second and third most number of three-pointers by a player in the first 15 games of a season is 80 and 74 respectively and are also held by Chef Curry. Which means Steph, with 19 games remaining for the Golden State Warriors this year, might very well score an estimated 500+ threes based on his 5.7 three-pointers per game.
#2 Most career three-pointers of all time, including playoffs
While playing against the Chicago Bulls on November 12, Curry broke Ray Allen's long-standing record for most three-pointers of all time, counting the regular season and playoffs. In the game, the Dubs' maestro shot nine three-pointers of his 17 attempts with a success rate of 51.7%.
For more details regarding this record, please read this article.
During the fateful match against the Bulls, Steph also broke another record. He became the only player to score 40 points with 1 or less free throws thrice in his career. The only other player to achieve this record is Klay Thompson, who has done it twice in his career.
Thursday was Stephen Curry's 3rd career 40-point game with 1 or no free throw attempts, passing his Splash Brother, Klay Thompson for the most in NBA history.
They're the only 2 players in NBA history with multiple such games.
Two of Curry's games have come this November. https://t.co/ZAJZ3DXnPp
#3 38 games with at least nine three-pointers
In the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on November 18, Curry separated himself from all other players by a distance that might never be bridged. By landing nine of his 16 three-point attempts, he recorded the 38th game of his life with at least nine three-pointers in a game.
Stephen Curry finished with 40 points vs Cavs on Thursday & made 9 3-pointers.
Curry made 9 3-pointers in a game for the 38th time in his career.
Curry has more games with 9 3-pointers since April (with 10) than any other player has in his career in NBA history. https://t.co/q5zooHZWCB
James Harden and Damian Lillard, who stand second on the stat line, have had nine such games in their entire careers. Stephen Curry on November 18th recorded the 10th such game since April 2021 and fourth in the 2021-22 NBA regular season.