Getty Stephen Curry, Warriors
Hat tip (one of many) to Warriors star Stephen Curry, an NBA player who knows a thing or two about being a courtside kid. After Golden State beat the Knicks on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden, a game that saw Curry make history by passing Ray Allen’s all-time record for 3-pointers made, Curry took a few moments to hang out with Kyden Randle, the five-year-old son of star forward Julius Randle.
Curry was wandering off the court after doing his initial media obligations following the win when Randle and Kyden caught up with him at center court. Julius Randle nudged his son forward and Curry had a brief chat with him before posing for a picture. After, Curry gave Kyden a fist bump, followed by a handshake and a word with Kyden’s father.
The exchange was captured:
Steph took time after the game to take a picture with Kyden Randle
(via @NBAonTNT)
Derrick Rose on Curry Record: ‘It Was Dope’
Curry, who grew up around NBA arenas as the son of former 3-point marksman Dell Curry, entered Tuesday night needing two 3-pointers to pass Allen, and did so with 7:33 to play in the first quarter, swishing a shot off a screen above the right break on a pass from Andrew Wiggins. The shot was a tribute to the career that Curry has had, but it was much appreciated by his Knicks opponents, too.
“It was dope, it was dope,” point guard Derrick Rose said. “History was made. Of course, we were trying to stop that but when he’s such an elite shooter like that, it’s kind of dope to be part of that when you really think about it, the totality of it. Ended up breaking it in the Garden, on the biggest stage, it was meant to be.”
“Ended up breaking it in The Garden on the biggest stage, it was meant to be” – Derrick Rose on Stephen Curry breaking the NBA’s all-time 3-point record
Still, within the context of the game, Curry did not have a great night, going 8-for-19 shooting and 5-for-14 from the 3-point line. He had 22 points and four turnovers as the Knicks tried to maintain pressure on him as he came off screens and sought room to shoot.
The rest of the Warriors were more efficient shooting the ball, going 10-for-26 from the 3-point line (38.5%) and making 46.6% of their shots.
“Steph generates so much offense for them, you constantly have to put two on the ball when he’s coming off a screen,” Randle said. “You know, they do a great job of playing off him. They made shots, the other dudes made shots.”
Warriors, Knicks Will Be Happy to Move On
For both the Warriors and the Knicks, there is a sense of relief that the game is behind them.
From the Warriors’ perspective, having the pressure of Curry chasing the record has worn on the team over the past week and now it can be filed away as the team moves on with the best record in the league. He expressed his appreciation of New York fans who have long backed him.
“I really can’t say it enough,” Curry said, “I really appreciate the way the fans embraced this moment with me, and let me get lost in it. I could feel it, once I took the shot, on the wing, it felt good and looked good, it went in, felt like we were at home.”
From the Knicks’ point of view, this marks the end of a brutal stretch of schedule that goes back to a November 26 meeting with the Suns and went for 10 games, against some of the best teams in the NBA. The Knicks’ last 10 opponents have had a record of 162-114, a .587 winning mark. Their next 10 are much different: a 104-168 record, and a .382 winning mark.