Stephen Curry wins his first 3-point shootout championship

Stephen Curry was the fifth competitor to take the floor for the shootout, and he had a first round score of 23.

(NBAE/Getty Images)

It has become popular, considering the NBA’s marked improvement in 3-point marksmanship, to call the 3-point shootout the marquee event of not only the All-Star Saturday night lineup, but the entire weekend. This year’s competition didn’t bust any records, and it did have some NBA-influenced mitigating factors, but the contest did follow through on its promise. Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry hit for 27 points in the final round in a fantastic display to win his first Shootout trophy.

With a lineup featuring the NBA’s leading scorer, last year’s All-Star Game MVP, a player who recently set a record for points in a single quarter, last year’s champion, two MVP candidates, and perhaps the greatest 3-point shooter ever, the shootout figured to be a sound draw.

By nature of the talent behind this group, however, James Harden (the league’s leading scorer and an MVP candidate), the defending champion Marco Belinelli, Los Angeles Clippers sharpshooter J.J. Redick (who in a rare instance had two makes waved off after he stepped on the 3-point line, costing him three points), and even Kyle Korver (on pace to shatter the NBA record for 3-point percentage) were out in the first round. Portland’s Wesley Matthews scored 22 points in his first round, enough to usually win the shootout in some years, and he was still knocked out after his first go-round.

It was fellow Warrior Klay Thompson (24 points in the first round), former shootout champion and 2014 All-Star Game MVP Kyrie Irving (23) and Curry (23) who would gear up for the final round. Irving managed just 18 points in his last turn, Curry caught fire to the tune of scoring 27 out of a possible 34 points (including 13 straight makes) just after, and Thompson disappointed by only hitting for 14 points as his fellow Splash Brother watched from the sidelines.

Curry leads the NBA in 3-point makes this season, and he led the league in both makes and attempts in 2013 and 2014, but oddly his current 3-point percentage would rank as the worst of his career if it sustains. At 39.9 percent, Stephen’s mark would rank him as a lights-out sharpshooter in any other context, but after entering the season shooting a white-hot 44 percent from long range on his career, he’s actually taking a small step back.

The Warriors don’t mind. Not only is Curry the go-to scorer on what at times has ranked as the NBA’s best offense, his all-around game has pushed him into the MVP discussion. Golden State entered the All-Star break with a fantastic 42-9 record, league-best mark that puts the team on pace for 68 wins. It should also be noted that Stephen Curry is also a really great guy.

One drawback during an otherwise fun time out was the NBA’s move to run the TNT commentary of Kenny Smith and Reggie Miller into the Barclays Center’s public address feed. Not only did their insipid back and forth reek of pointless radio-chat-show yammering, but the league did the festivities one step worse – there was actual canned crowd noise, obviously fake applause, being fed into the speakers and/or TNT broadcast feed after every make.

The 3-point shootout is just fine where it is. It will never inspire the sort of immediate cheers and gusto reserved for even the lamest of dunk contests, but that’s just fine. The NBA doesn’t need to create a spectacle out of the event, especially when helmed by some of the league’s least-loved in-game commentators. The fake splash of applause on top of it all was just embarrassing.

The NBA’s 3-point shooting is as good as it has ever been, as evidenced by a shootout-high 27 points being saved for the final round by the best player on the NBA’s best team. The only change we’d ask, beyond the PA commentary nonsense and obvious fake crowd noise, would be to add a few more rounds – because it is so damn fun to watch this bunch let fly from 24 feet.

Source: Yahoo! News

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WATCH: Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather come face to face at NBA match

Miami: Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao have finally met in person.

And now talks might get serious about them meeting in the ring.

The fighters were both sitting courtside, directly across from one another, at a Miami Heat game on Tuesday night. Mayweather went over to Pacquiao at halftime, the men shook hands and chatted briefly, then exchanged phone numbers.

“He gave his number to me and said we will communicate with each other,” said Pacquiao, adding that he had never before met Mayweather in person.

Asked to clarify if the exchange meant the two would negotiate directly about meeting in the ring, Pacquiao said that was the case.

Mayweather did not respond to a question asked by an AP reporter. “Not now,” one of his security guards said, as Mayweather fiddled with his phone.

A bout between the two would almost certainly be the richest ever in boxing, potentially grossing as much as $250 million. Mayweather’s take alone could exceed $100 million.

Mayweather said last month that he’s ready to make the fight happen May 2. Asked Tuesday if that date can finally be the one, Pacquiao — who has said it’s time to give boxing fans what they want — nodded and said “yes.”

When Mayweather said he wanted the May 2 fight to happen, he said Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum had been the main obstacle for it not coming together in the last five years. Mayweather repeated his old charges about Pacquiao not wanting to do blood tests prior to the fight for it not happening five years ago.

He also has no doubt that he could beat Pacquiao.

“I know that he’s not on my level,” Mayweather said last month.

Pacquiao has a similar confidence, saying on Twitter recently that “I can easily beat @FloydMayweather, I believe that.”

It appears to be happenstance that Mayweather and Pacquiao were together on Tuesday.

Pacquiao has been in Miami for several days, after serving as one of the judges in the Miss Universe pageant at Florida International University. He was supposed to leave Tuesday night but said his flight was canceled - as many were in South Florida because of the crippling effects felt nationwide by the havoc a winter storm caused in the New York and Boston areas.

So Pacquiao decided to come to the Heat-Milwaukee Bucks game. He’s a noted basketball fan and has a good relationship with Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, who is of Filipino descent.

Mayweather has been a regular courtside attendee at Heat games for several years.

And it just so happened they picked the same game. Pacquiao said he didn’t expect to see Mayweather - who had a seat just a few feet from Spoelstra’s spot on the side of the court where the Heat have their bench.

Spoelstra met with Pacquiao before the game and said he was “totally shocked” to see Mayweather on the same night. If the fight happens May 2, it would occur somewhere around the end of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

“I hope we’re extremely busy at that time, May 2,” Spoelstra said, “and I hope they’re very busy as well.”

Mayweather, the WBA and WBC welterweight champion, hasn’t lost in 47 fights. Pacquiao, the WBO welterweight titleholder, is 57-5-2 in his career.

Even the Heat in-game marketing arm weighed in on the buzz surrounding the potential fight. They put photos of both fighters on their video screens during a first-half stoppage in play, with the caption “Coming in 2015?”

There’s no sure answer — yet.

Source: Gulf News

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