The Slam Dunk Contest sure has a lot to live up to on Saturday night because its co-main event, the Three-Point Shootout, was unbelievable.
Steph Curry is your 2015 NBA Three-Point Shootout Champion, having defeated teammate Klay Thompson and Kyrie Irving in an incredible final round to top off an exhilarating and hotly contested opening round.
| Shooter | Round One | Round Two |
|---|---|---|
| Curry | 23 | 27 |
| Irving | 23 | 17 |
| Thompson | 24 | 14 |
| Matthews | 22 | - |
| Korver | 18 | - |
| Belinelli | 18 | - |
| Redick | 17 | - |
| Harden | 15 | - |
Yes, seriously. It came down to teammate against teammate, second-generation star against second-generation star, Splash Brother against Splash Brother. And Curry came through with a record score of 27 points, hitting 13 triples in a row during one stretch. The only unfortunate part of the event was that Warriors head coach and all-time leading 3-point shooter Steve Kerr didn't run onto the court to challenge Curry to a one-on-one shoot-off.
Werk. pic.twitter.com/1YSlemhF16
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 15, 2015
In the first round, all the shooters were unconscious, with poor Wesley Matthews left out despite a score of 22 points. There was just no matching the Splash Brothers and Irving, who had an out-of-body experience with a first-round score of 23, tied with Curry and one shy of Thompson.
KYRIE!! pic.twitter.com/WRCKONvGJG
— Steve Noah (@Steve_OS) February 15, 2015
It was the NBA's top 3-point shooter on the season, Kyle Korver, who entered as a very slight favorite over Curry, but oddsmakers correctly called the field open for the most part.
| PLAYER | ODDS | 2014-15 3FG% | CAREER 3FG% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Korver | +300 | 52.3% | 43.3% |
| Curry | +325 | 39.9% | 43.3% |
| Thompson | +350 | 44.0% | 41.6% |
| Redick | +650 | 43.6% | 39.6% |
| Belinelli | +700 | 38.1% | 39.4% |
| Irving | +700 | 41.4% | 38.7% |
| Harden | +750 | 38.3% | 37.1% |
| Matthews | +900 | 39.8% | 39.5% |
Backing up Korver as a favorite was his obscene catch-and-shoot percentage when open, the closest in-game shot to the ones being taken in the contest.
Korver has shot 55.2% on open catch-and-shoot 3-pointers this season -- best BY FAR among the 3-point contestants. pic.twitter.com/eXDbOz5FnA
— Tom Haberstroh (@tomhaberstroh) February 15, 2015
There's no accounting for getting hot at the right time, building momentum and yes, probably a little bit of good fortune. Speaking to the randomness of the event, this is Curry's first win in four tries in the contest, despite his well-deserved reputation as one of the greatest shooters alive.
