Brooklyn Nets sharpshooter Joe Harris edged out all-time great shooter Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors in the final round of the Mountain Dew Three-Point Shootout.
However, Harris downplayed his impressive feat and said that Curry is still the greatest shooter of all time, per Mark Medina of The Mercury News.
“Steph is the greatest shooter of all time,” Harris said. “Shooting off of the rack for a minute is not indicative of being a better shooter than Steph Curry. I don’t want anybody to get it twisted at all.”
Very humble words from someone who came from modest beginnings. Harris had struggled to find his place in the NBA early in his career. The former second-round pick played just 56 games in his first two years in the league with the Cleveland Cavaliers and was almost out of the league at that point.
But last season, he found his way into coach Kenny Atkinson's rotation and evolved into one of the best shooters in the NBA. This year, Harris broke out further and has become a key cog in Brooklyn's run to make a return to the playoffs.
The Nets hyped up Harris' bid for the annual long-range competition. He got the chance to prove and make a name for himself under the bright lights of All-Star Weekend. And he delivered.
Harris came out on fire to start off the competition, scoring 25 points in the first round. But Curry looked poised to win his second long-ball crown as he top-scored the first round with 27, while Sacramento Kings guard Buddy Hield scored 26 as the three went on to the final.
Harris set the tone in the final round and put pressure on the two remaining shooters, Hield and Curry, as he ramped up his total even further with 26 points. Hield went on to flame out a bit, scoring just 19.
It was down to Harris, who is second in the NBA in three-point percentage this season, and Curry, who second in total three-pointers made this year. The two-time MVP looked to snatch the crown from Harris early on, as he knocked down his first nine shots. But he struggled to find a rhythm in the third and fourth racks and needed to make all five shots in the final money ball rack to tie Harris.
However, one of his money balls in the last rack went in and out, and he finished the round with 24. Harris did it and took home his first ever three-point shootout crown.
It was a great accomplishment for Harris, who has come a long way from being a second-round pick and a constant G-League assignee in his first two NBA seasons. Today, for just this one minute, he was the better shooter over the greatest shooter of all time.
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