What started as a captivating addition to the game has now transformed into a core strategy, the culture, and the future of sports. The three-point shot's journey through the NBA is not merely a story of numbers and statistics. However, it's a story of how an idea that once was simple changed how the game was played, how people watched, and how players were celebrated.
This blog will take you through the electrifying journey of the three-point shot, from lowly beginnings as a fringe offering to the revolution to the force that it is today. Ready? Let's explore how this simple line on the court revolutionized the game of basketball.
Initially, basketball did not emphasize the perimeter. It was centered on control of dominant players within the paint, who excelled at securing rebounds and managing the game from within the key. Consider figures such as Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and Bob Pettit. These impressive athletes constituted the foundation of the NBA, with the sport being characterized by physicality and close-range supremacy. However, transformation was imminent, and it would manifest in the most unforeseen manner.
By the late 1970s, the National Basketball Association (NBA) was at a low. Attendance figures were pathetic, and television ratings were worse. It was as if the league was losing steam.
Winds of change, however, had begun to blow. The 1979-80 season introduced two men who would forever change the NBA. Their names were Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. Their rivalry would once again stir interest in the league. It is from this era when the National Basketball Association introduced the three-point line, and the game was never to be the same again.
The concept of a three-point shot had already been tested in the discontinued ABA, but no one knew whether it would succeed in the NBA. Many felt it was simply a novelty and an experiment that would never stick.
The first player to take the first three-point shot in the history of the NBA was Chris Ford of the Boston Celtics. Though the shot began to gain importance, it did not gain acceptance so easily. In the first season, teams attempted an average of just 2.8 three-pointers per game and made only 0.8 of those. These statistics were too low, and the three-point shot continued to be regarded more as a fad than a part of the game.
However, there was one player who remained in opposition. Larry Bird, who had a knack for shooting and a great eye for playmaking, quickly became one of the most consistent three-point
shooters in the league. Into the 1980s, though still a rare occurrence, the three-point shot finally began to reveal hints of what it had in store.
The three-point shot began to gain more attention in the 1980s and 1990s, mainly due to players like Dale Ellis, Reggie Miller, and Ray Allen. However, the National Basketball Association was still a game of centers and power forwards, and the three-point shot was still considered a supplement. Teams, including the Boston Celtics, continued to use the three-point shot sparingly, even though players like Larry Bird showed that it could be an effective weapon.
However, teams could not work the three-point shot into their offensive structures. As the league moved into the 1990s, scoring continued to decline, and the mid-range jumper was the offensive weapon of choice for most players. The three-point line was useful but did not form the foundation of any play in the NBA.
The NBA made its boldest experiment in 1994-95, moving the three-point line closer to the basket, from 23.9 feet to 22. This made the three-point shot easier to get off, and thus, there was a modest increase in attempts. John Starks and Reggie Miller, among others, became the team's go-to shooters.
The real revolution began in 2009 when a young Davidson University guard, Stephen Curry, came into the NBA. In his first season, Curry made 166 three-pointers, but nobody could have dreamed of how dominant he would become thereafter. Curry was not just a guy who shot three-pointers. He had expanded the parameters of what anyone thought was possible.
By the 2012-2013 season, Curry successfully made a total of 272 three-pointers, thus breaking the record that existed.
Curry's deep-range shooting changed the way teams approached strategies offensively. The Golden State Warriors, under his leadership in the season of 2014-2015, secured the NBA Championship, and hence the three-point shot became the biggest focus in the game. It proved to be monumental as a team didn't necessarily have to rely on the traditional centers or
mid-range jumpers to succeed. The three-point shot could form the basis of an offense, and Curry, with his rapid release and unquestionable accuracy, embodied that style.
By the mid-2010s, the three-point shot reached its peak. And under head coach Steve Kerr, the Warriors built a style of play that revolved around pace, movement, and, of course, shooting.
The small-ball era arrived.This philosophy was taken to extreme levels by the Houston Rockets with James Harden and coach Mike D'Antoni at the helm. The Rocket's offense became a phenomenon in becoming three-point shot-dependent. They were shooting threes at a blistering pace and, by 2016, had pushed the limits of what was considered normal. The strategy? Shoot as many threes as possible, make the defense spread out, and create open looks.
Though the Rockets' tactics were extreme, the success they had proved that the three-point shot had transcended its status as a bonus. It became the decisive factor in the development of modern NBA offenses. Teams all over the league started adopting this ideology and realized that the three-pointer was not just an add-on to score but a potent tool.
Fast forward to the present, the NBA has completely transformed. Teams are now attempting more three-point shots than ever in history. The average number of three-point attempts per game in 2022 hit remarkable highs of 35, an enormous spike from just 2.8 in 1979. The Golden State Warriors, the Boston Celtics, and the other elite teams continue to rule the league, where three-pointers are the pulse of their strategy.
It's not just a matter of making more three-pointers, it's about shooting them accurately. The modern NBA is all about putting the right player in the right position to take the most advantageous shot. Curry and Klay Thompson are at the helm of this, joined by Luka Don. James Harden now become a legend because of his mastery over the three-point shot and striking shots from beyond the arc.
What began as a simple line on the basketball court has transformed into a symbol of the NBA's dedication to excitement and innovation. So the next time you watch a game, remember this, for every successful three-pointer, it adds to history. As each shot is taken, it continues the journey of the game and keeps our collective anticipation intact.
