Stephen Curry has unquestionably revolutionized basketball over the last decade or so. His three-point shooting prowess is something the league had never seen before, and it has helped him win 4 titles, a Finals MVP, and 2 MVP awards.
The success he has had and the potency of the three-point shot itself have led to many others changing the way they operate on the court, and nowadays, everybody on the team jacks up shots from behind the arc. That has led to many purists stating that Curry has ruined the game of basketball as games have been reduced to three-point shooting contests. Steph was asked to weigh in on if he did ruin the league or if he elevated it during an interview with LA Magazine after the ESPYs.
via LA Mag:
“Anytime you change or disrupt the way a game is played or the way something’s been done for years, for decades, there’s always going to be people that love it and people that hate it,”
“It’s just stretching people’s imagination of what’s possible out there on the court and for young kids to know it’s possible—but you have to work for it,” he added. “It takes time, so many reps, a lot of focus and dedication and discipline, but it’s possible.”
That’s a fair response from Curry there. Anytime someone causes a change in the way things are done, there are always going to be people who embrace the change and others who reject it.
Whether they like it or not, this emphasis on the three-point shot isn’t going away. Three is better than two, as Curry himself stated a few days back, and if you’re capable enough from beyond the arc, then it makes sense to go for it. For all the criticism of the way basketball is played now, the change has also made games more exciting, as no lead is safe with the three-pointer so heavily featured in the equation.
