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Warriors’ Steph Curry celebrates 10-year anniversary of career-defining shot
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- Warriors’ Steph Curry celebrates 10-year anniversary of career-defining shot
Warriors legend Steph Curry
On this day 10 years ago, Steph Curry had one of his career-defining moments.
As Curry rehabs a right knee injury that has sidelined him nine straight games amid a season that was derailed by an ACL tear to Jimmy Butler , it's a stark reminder of how lucky we are that we still get to watch him play.
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During the 2015-16 NBA season, the Warriors won a historic 73 games and reached the NBA Finals for the second straight year.
Amid that stunning run, one regular-season game stood out above the rest.
On this day 10 years ago, Steph Curry had one of his career-defining moments. AP
It was Feb. 27, a day the Warriors had circled on their calendar. Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green were playing a Thunder team with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook that was widely considered their greatest threat for the title.
Curry, who had led the Warriors from being the NBA's longtime punchline to becoming champions in 2015, was on his way to becoming the greatest shooter of all time.
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This game helped cement his legacy.
With 8.4 seconds left in overtime and the score knotted at 118, Westbrook missed a pull-up jumper. Andre Iguodala caught the rebound and threw the ball downcourt to Curry as the seconds ticked off the clock. Instead of calling a timeout, Warriors coach Steve Kerr let things unfold organically.
It was the perfect setup for Steph Curry's magic.
Curry took three dribbles, just barely crossing the half-court line before firing a 38-foot 3-pointer over the outstretched arms of Andre Roberson .
The ball swished through the net with 0.6 seconds left.
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Announcer Mike Breen famously exclaimed: "They do have a timeout, decide not to use it. Curry, way downtown … BANG! BANG! Oh, what a shot from Curry!"
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Curry ran downcourt. He jumped. He pumped his arm into the air. He shimmied. He even danced.
It was a profound outpouring of joy from a player who was putting his name on the map for being the best in the world in those type of moments. In moments when stakes were the highest. In moments when the pressure was at an apex.
That shot instantly became a mainstay on the NBA's all-time highlight reel.
Curry was a mile away from the basket. Roberson had all but taken away his view of the rim. It was a jaw-dropping display of perfection under the most impossible circumstances, the embodiment of what makes Curry so fun.
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Green called the shot "absurd."
Added Thompson: "He's got the greatest range I've ever seen."
Everything about that moment was instantly etched into the history books, from Breen's emphatic call of the play to the drama of the shot, which, to this day, inspires chills upon rewatching.
It was Curry's 12th 3-pointer of the game, which at the time tied Kobe Bryant and Donyell Marshall for the most 3s made in a game.
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) drives past Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, left, in overtime of an NBA basketball game in Oklahoma City, Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016. Golden State won 121-118. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)Russell Westbrook, Stephen Curry AP
And with that 46-point performance, Curry became the first player in NBA history with at least 10 made 3s in consecutive games. (Just two nights earlier, he had 10 3-pointers and 51 points against the Magic.) It was his third straight 40-point performance en route to his unanimous MVP campaign.
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To add to the theatrics of it all, that shot came on the heels of Curry missing about six minutes of the third quarter because of an ankle injury. When Curry returned, he helped the Warriors roar back from a 12-point fourth-quarter deficit to send the game into overtime, setting up one of the most memorable regular-season games in NBA history.
Over the last decade, we've gotten used to moments like that from Curry.
There was his barrage of 3-pointers in the gold-medal game at the 2024 Olympics . There was his dagger with just under two minutes left in Game 4 of the 2022 Finals against the Celtics , which was one of the defining moments of his Finals MVP run. There was his game-winning 3 at the buzzer against the Rockets in January 2022.
Curry is defined by shining in those moments. He's the master of the flow state. He's arguably the most thrilling superstar of all time, able to suspend time and distance and the confines of what's considered possible.
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And that shot against the Thunder 10 years ago perfectly embodied that phenomenon.
The 37-year-old Curry is still capable of those awe-inspiring shots on any given night . He hasn't slowed down. He became the oldest point guard to be named an All-Star starter earlier this month. Heck, he's still averaging 27.2 points on 46.8% shooting, 3.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists a game.
Curry is out at least until early March. But on the anniversary of one of the greatest regular-season shots in NBA history, his greatness deserves to be celebrated.
Curry redefined how the game is played. He transformed every square inch of the court into a danger zone. He led the Warriors to four championships in eight years. And he did it with his signature effervescence.
Curry is unlike anyone we've ever seen.
And moments like that will never be forgotten.
