The Historic Impact of Stephen Curry’s Legendary Shot in 2016

“We knew we were the team (circled) on everybody’s calendar,” said 2015 Finals MVP Andre Iguodala. “But we had a few teams that were circled on our calendar as well; OKC was one of those teams.”

Entering the night, Golden State had lost 11 of its last 12 games in Oklahoma City. The boisterous Thunder crowd had made it one of the best home arenas in the NBA. Before that game, OKC was 25-7 at home. 

The Warriors Had a Rough Start

Just seconds after the Thunder won the opening jump-ball, Curry picked up his first foul on a screen from Kevin Durant. The possibility of fouling out increased. There was still nearly the entire game to go, but a first-minute foul is a heads-up of what could happen. It’s natural for the idea of pulling a player to creep into a coach’s mind, but Steve Kerr knew it was worth it to leave Curry in. 

“I’d rather have Steph in the game at the risk of picking up another foul rather than taking him out of the game altogether,” Kerr recalled about the decision not to pull his superstar. 

From Curry’s view, the questionable call invigorated him.

“Whether you think it was the right call or not, which I don’t think it was, it was a nice little wake-up call. Get locked in for a good night,” Curry smirked.

The Warriors got off to a slow start, unfocused and careless with the ball. The Thunder connected on their first three baskets of the game, and got off to an 18-5 lead against the Dubs. They held a double-digit lead after the end of the first and second quarters.

But in between the midway intermission, commentator Mike Breen heard something that caught his attention.

Golden State Got It Together

As he made his way to the green room during halftime, Breen heard screaming from the Warriors’ locker room. Kerr and Draymond Green had gotten into it.

Green struggled shooting the ball in the first half (0/3). What frustrated him was Kerr brazenly calling him out in front of the team, showing his misses on film. Green was particularly upset because he had affected the game in ways other than scoring. 

Kerr’s issue wasn’t so much that his defensive anchor missed a few shots; it was the poor shot selection on those attempts.

Before running out to start the third, Green had yelled, “I am not a robot, I know I can play. You have me messed up right now. If you don’t want me to shoot, I won’t shoot the rest of the game.”

Though the argument may be seen as a doom-impending catastrophe to a team chasing history, Kerr believes the incident helped energize the group. 

The Warriors began the second half chipping away at the Thunder’s 11-point lead. They cut it to five when Russell Westbrook came down on Curry’s foot as Curry went for a layup. 

Curry came up limping in noticeable pain. The immediate thought went to an unfortunately familiar place for the Warriors.

His long bout with nagging ankle injuries was everyone’s foremost concern. He headed for the locker room, with the Warriors unsure if he would return. 

“He was only a few years removed from the ankle injury that had kept him on the shelf quite a bit. So, we weren’t even sure if he was gonna be able to come back in the game,” Kerr said.

In the midst of their quest to cement the Warriors in NBA lore, the status of their franchise superstar was in question.

A Turn-Around for the Ages

 Curry returned five minutes later, with 5:10 in the third, to help Golden State continue its push. The score margin was just five at the start of the final quarter, as Curry showed no signs of a bothersome ankle. They got off to a slow beginning in the quarter, yet again. The Thunder had gone back up 96-85 with under five minutes left in the game.

The Warriors remained relentless, tightening up their defense and forcing the Thunder into tough shots. 

Curry, who was 8/11 from three, started taking over. The Warriors went for a quick two-for-one opportunity with the ball, down four with 14.5 seconds left. A Klay Thompson layup pulled the game within reach. Then, Harrison Barnes and Iguodala trapped Durant on an inbounds pass, causing the Thunder to turn the ball over, with Green and Thompson saving it.

Ultimately, the team’s fate came down to one of their worst free-throw shooters going to the line to tie it up. 

Iguodala was fouled on a shot-fake and headed to the charity stripe with a chance to send the game to overtime. A 61.4% free-throw shooter that season, the Warriors’ vet calmly knocked down both attempts. 

The Shot Heard Around the World 

What went down in overtime would immortalize the game as one for the ages. Durant fouled out to start the extra period – his first time fouling out that season. The door was wide open for Golden State to run away with it.

The Dubs withstood every haymaker the Thunder fired at them, giving way to one of the most stunning regular-season endings in NBA history.

The score was even at 118, with Curry bringing the ball up the court against Andre Roberson. Curry began meticulously mapping out his plan for the final moments in his mind. As Roberson backed up, presumably thinking Curry wouldn’t pull from that far, Curry began counting his own steps and dribbles. 

“I kind of knew it once I was just approaching half court that I was gonna shoot it no matter what,” Curry said. 

The clock was winding down. Four…three…two…one. Curry planted his feet and launched from 38 feet, stunning everyone in the arena.

“BANG! BANG!”

“Oh, what a shot from Curry!” Mike Breen emphatically exclaimed, “With six-tenths of a second remaining.”

Breen was unable to comprehend what he had just witnessed. In that moment, he wasn’t a commentator or an announcer; he was a fan. According to him, it was the greatest regular-season game he ever saw.

Westbrook’s last-ditch shot attempt was no good as the buzzer sounded, leaving the entire NBA world in utter disbelief.

The Legacy of the Big Shot

The Warriors may not have won the title that year, but they did surpass the Bulls’ record by one game, collecting 73 wins. Curry also tied the (then) single-game record for most threes made in a game (12) that night. 

Many remember the improbable shot going in the most, but overlook what the team had to overcome to even be in that position.

“The amount of things that happened for us in this game – it almost fell apart. And then 30 (Curry) delivers a moment like that,” Green reminisced.

“That was an out-of-body experience,” added Breen. “That was so memorable because of all the circumstances surrounding the game.”

Curry revolutionized the game for good. There is no player with his shot-making ability, but he normalized other players’ attempts at improbable, heroic shots, regardless of how it might affect their percentages.

There was something wildly audacious about Curry’s bravery to go for that three. 

If Curry didn’t hit the shot, the questions about what would happen to their historic season are endless.

Luckily for Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors, they’ll never have to find out.