"An absurd comment to make, LOL" - Ex-Clippers guard slams Mike Greenberg over 'most memorable shot' claim about Steph Curry's 3-pointer
Team USA superstar guard Steph Curry went on a late-game shooting barrage to clinch Saturday's 98-87 2024 Paris Olympic final victory over France. According to ESPN's Mike Greenberg, Curry's final dagger 3-pointer marked the "most memorable shot in basketball history." However, ex-LA Clippers guard Austin Rivers scoffed at the notion.
Curry drilled four of his game-high eight 3s over the final 2:43 of Saturday's gold-medal victory. However, his last triple's high degree of difficulty particularly wowed fans.
With the Americans leading 93-87 with 34.5 seconds remaining, Curry stepped back over two French defenders for a tightly contested deep 3. The shot rattled in, with the four-time NBA champion breaking out his signature "night, night" celebration, seemingly signifying the game was over.
Curry's impressive shooting display and team-best 24 points secured his first Olympic gold medal, with Team USA taking home its fifth straight.
Two days after Curry's clutch performance, Greenberg ranked the "most memorable shots in basketball history" on ESPN's "Get Up." He placed the two-time NBA MVP's gold medal-clinching triple No. 1, citing the game's stakes and his shot's immense difficulty.
"Think about if we don't win that game. Think about the reaction if Team USA loses that day, and we were in significant jeopardy of doing just that," Greenberg said.
"So, for that reason, and because of the spectacular nature of that flurry, capped off by that fourth one, which again, is an absolutely terrible shot for every other person in the world, I put that one at No. 1. I put that as the No. 1 most memorable moment. It is one you will never forget having watched," he added.
However, later Monday, Rivers, an 11-year NBA veteran who faced off against Curry numerous times, pushed back on Greenberg's take on X/Twitter. Rivers seemingly hinted at the veteran analyst getting caught up in recency bias.
"[The] shot was incredible, but this an absurd comment to make, LOL," Rivers said.
While Steph Curry's final shot against France was impressive, the U.S. was up by six points at the time. So, many pointed out that even if Curry missed, the Americans likely still would have gone on to win. Conversely, several players have hit clutch shots to win NBA playoff series and championships.
Nonetheless, Curry's game-clinching triple and all-around shooting dominance against France instantly became part of Olympic basketball lore.
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Steph Curry on late-game shooting avalanche against France
As for Steph Curry's thoughts on his late-game 3-point shooting flurry against France, he attributed it to building momentum after settling into a rhythm. The superstar guard also expressed gratitude and relief to have a signature Olympic moment.
"A big shot to put us up six. That kind of settled everything," Curry said. "And then the rhythm, the avalanche came, and thankfully the other three went in. That was an unbelievable moment. I’ve been blessed to play basketball at a high level for a very long time. This ranks very high in terms of excitement and the sense of relief, getting to the finish line."
Curry finished as Team USA's leading scorer over its six-game Olympic run, averaging 14.8 points per game, shooting 50.0% and 47.8% from 3. His standout play earned him a spot on the tournament's All-Star Five team. He joined the U.S.'s LeBron James, Serbia's Nikola Jokic, France's Victor Wembanyama and Germany's Dennis Schroder.
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