Stephen Curry looked to be on course to win his fifth free-throw title heading into the final day of the regular season. After the Golden State Warriors beat the Utah Jazz, though, Klay Thompson snatched it from him. Thompson went 5-5 from the line to finish the season at 92.7% to Curry’s 92.3% and the two-time MVP was a bit upset.
“I’m going to see if they rewrite the rules,” Curry said. “Don’t know what 125 free throws, what that qualification is, but he got it done.”
By making those five free throws, Thompson finished with 127 makes for the season. To be eligible to be a leader, a player must have 125 makes, and Curry stated the two of them didn’t have any conversation about it leading up to the game.
“I had no clue until Raymond [Ridder] told me today,” Curry claimed. “I knew I was up there percentage-wise, pretty much all year. I think [Damian Lillard] was up there, too. But I had no clue Klay was ineligible until last game, and he made all five, so shoutout to him.”
“He had no clue either,” Curry revealed. “So he’s like, ‘Oh, that’s cool,’ and that was the whole conversation right there. He didn’t even realize he gets a little plaque or trophy, or something. I presented Jordan (Poole) with his, when he got it. I guess Klay missed that whole ceremony because he had no idea that there is a trophy acknowledgment for the stat leader right there. So, the trophy was a surprise to him.”
While some players might take solace in the fact that at least a teammate won it, Curry hilariously isn’t.
“No, I hate losing,” Curry stated. “Absolutely not. But I guess I am extremely proud of my teammate.”
"No, I hate losing."
Steph is salty Klay stole his free-throw title on the final game of the season 😂 pic.twitter.com/06vwztXDCV
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 15, 2024
This was the second time that Curry had a teammate snatch that free throw title from him. Jordan Poole did it in 2021-22 on the final day of the season, like Thompson did here. Had Curry won on both occasions, he would have tied Rick Barry for the second-most titles with six. Bill Sharman holds the all-time record with seven.
While Curry is unlikely to catch Sharman now, he is the all-time leader for free throw percentage at 90.98%. The 36-year-old is just one of three players to be over 90, along with Steve Nash (90.43%) and Mark Price (90.39%).
Can Stephen Curry Deliver Another Masterpiece Against The Kings?
Just like last year, the Warriors and the Sacramento Kings are facing off in an elimination game in the postseason. In 2023, it was Game 7 of their first-round series, while in 2024, it is the 9 vs. 10 NBA Play-In Tournament game.
Curry recorded 50 points in that Game 7 to lead the Warriors to victory and I wouldn’t bet against him delivering another special performance on Tuesday night. The 10-time All-Star averaged 31.0 points per game in the four meetings between the sides this season and would be relishing the opportunity to silence that home crowd once again.
As for Thompson, he struggled in that elimination game last year, as he went 4-19 from the field. He is in a much better place mentally and physically now, though, so I would back the 34-year-old to have a better showing this time out.
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