'Work is the only way': Steph Curry's dedication puts 3 record in reach against Pacers

INDIANAPOLIS — Steph Curry catches the ball in the baseline corner, sets his feet and shoots a 3.

Swish.

He does it again.

Swish.

And again.

Swish.

And again, and again, and again.

Swish. Swish. Swish.

The Golden State superstar wasn't perfect during his team's shootaround Monday morning at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, but he was pretty close. Curry, a two-time league MVP and three-time champion, rarely missed as he effortlessly drained 3-pointers and floaters ahead of a matchup with the Pacers.

But, that's the thing.

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It's not effortless, or "Steph-fortless" as Ernie Johnson and the TNT crew sometime likes to joke.

Curry is seven 3-pointers away from eclipsing Ray Allen's NBA record (2,973) and could do it Monday night against the Pacers. But the 6-foot-2 guard — whose father, Dell, and younger brother, Seth, are great shooters, too — said his quest to become the 3-point king has more do with his work ethic rather than his natural ability.

"A natural gift can only take you so far," Curry said. "There's a spirit to what I do based on what I've been doing since I was kid and just how I see the game, how much fun I have shooting the ball. But the work is the only way (we're) even remotely close to having this type of conversation.

"Anybody on this level, we're all gifted in a certain sense to play basketball, whether it's athletically, your IQ, skill set, whatever it is — the work is the only way you can sustain that year after year."

Curry has made 10 3s in a game 22 times in his career, which is far and away the most in NBA history. Second on the list? His teammate and "Slash Brother" Klay Thompson with five.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr was also a great shooter, connecting on 45.4% of his 3-ponters, which is the highest clip in league history. He knows firsthand how much work it takes to consistently drain long-range shots and acknowledged that although Curry has "incredible superpowers," it's the former Davidson's star's dedication that has turned him into a household name.

"There's definitely a natural gift, just from genes, very athletic family. His dad was an amazing shooter and mom a great athlete in her own right," Kerr said. "So a lot of gifts, but a work ethic that was born out of not being a McDonald's All-American, not being a freak of nature. He was basically unrecruited out of high school so he had to work for everything, and I think along with just a really solid upbringing, he learned the value of hard work.

"And when you combine that type of work ethic with God-given talent, it's pretty potent stuff."

Allen and Pacers legend Reggie Miller are cut from the same cloth as Curry, supremely gifted and unwaveringly committed. At one point in their careers, Miller — who ranks third all-time with 2,560 3s — and Allen were each considered the greatest shooter ever. And while eras have changed and today's teams are shooting 3-pointers at an all-time high, it'd still be hard to argue that anyone in league history has been better from behind the arc than their successor, Curry.

The seven-time All-Star is a career 43.2% 3-point shooter while Allen was 40.0% and Miller was 39.5%.

Allen and Miller played 1,300 and 1,304 games, respectively, compared to 787 for Curry. It took Curry 715 games to surpass Miller for second all-time in 3s, and he may only need one more to eclipse Allen.

When asked what it would mean to accomplish the feat in Indianapolis, with Miller's jersey hanging above him in the rafters, Curry said the story writes itself.

"There's a narrative for pretty much everywhere on this road trip that you could kind of key in on," said Curry, whose favorite player as a kid was Miller. "Reggie's presence and legacy here, playing against my brother in Philly, (Madison Square Garden on Tuesday), the court that Ray Allen broke Reggie's record (on) in Boston (on Friday), so again it'll happen when it happens."

Pacers assistant Lloyd Pierce, who is filling in for head coach Rick Carlisle after Carlisle tested positive for COVID-19 last week, was a Golden State assistant during Curry's second season in 2010-11.

Pierce said normally one of the main areas of improvement for second-year players is shooting, but with Curry there was "nothing I could say to him." Save for the 2019-20 season when he broke his left hand and was limited to five games, Curry has shot over 40% on 3-pointers every year of his career.

Consistency like that, Pierce said, isn't gifted but worked for.

"I think the work far outweighs the gift," Pierce said. "I think when you think of the work, you think of the conditioning and the shooting and the extra shots. I think this guy spends a lot of time pouring into his profession, his craft and everything that comes along with it. ... Everyone that talks about defending him always brings up the word 'conditioning.' And that's work. You can't be a great conditioned athlete without working, especially (in his 13th season). ...

"To be at this late in your career and to still be considered the top conditioned athlete in our league is a testament to his work ethic."

Curry said he's somewhere between stress and joy as he closes in on history but will stick to his usual pre-game schedule. When the moment comes for him to finally take his place on the 3-point throne, the future Hall of Famer plans to enjoy it.

"This one is different. I got a lot more left in my career, but it is a career type (of) milestone that (I've) been thinking about for many years," Curry said. "Playoffs and all of that type of stuff, you're chasing championships. It's kind of business as usual, you have a certain process and routine that you stick to.

"I think about (the 3-pointer record) a lot. ... But nothing really changes besides the anticipation of something I've been looking forward to for a long time."

Follow IndyStar Pacers beat writer James Boyd on Twitter: @RomeovilleKid. Reach him via email: jboyd1@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Stephen Curry is seven 3-pointers from setting NBA record