The highly anticipated 2015 Three-Point Contest absolutely lived up to expectations as Stephen Curry took the title with 13 straight makes, beating out finalists Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson.
NBA 3-Point Contest 2015: Stephen Curry wins with 13 straight makes
Curry caught fire and took the three-point title.
Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Curry caught fire at the top of the key in the second round. After missing the first shot at that rack, he hit the next 13 to finish with a score of 27 -- the best of any participant in either round. When you ignore the scoring and just look at the makes, that’s 20 in 25 attempts. Although his teammate Thompson followed him, he struggled in the final round and couldn’t match Curry going supernova.
Last year, the NBA added a “money rack” to the contest, meaning one spot has five moneyball shots instead of just one. The shooter can choose where the rack goes, adding an element of strategy to the competition and increasing the best possible score to 34.
All three finalists placed the money rack on the final corner, and Curry and Thompson in particular used it to their advantage. Curry hit 8-of-9 while Thompson hit 7-of-9 in the first round.
Five of the eight contestants were eliminated in the initial round: Wesley Matthews (22), Kyle Korver (18), Marco Belinelli (18), J.J. Redick (17) and James Harden (15). Redick's elimination was disappointing -- he made several moneyballs that didn't count because he had a foot on the three-point line.
It’s no surprise that Curry won after watching him light up team after team all season, but watching him hit three-pointer after three-pointer with his almost effortless release is still ridiculous. The contest of who is the better shooter between Thompson and Curry isn’t over, but Curry just took a clear lead.
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