Records don't instantly elevate one athlete past his predecessors, but Stephen Curry took another step beyond Ray Allen Saturday night in the NBA Playoffs.

Records are markers of supreme excellence. Sometimes, they can identify and magnify specialists who aren't as well-rounded as other athletes. Given Curry's diverse set of skills — more expansive than Allen ever possessed — it is safe to say that Curry's latest record lifts him to an even higher plane in NBA history.

The record: Curry passed Allen for the most 3-point makes in NBA Playoff history, achieved Saturday night in Game 1 of the Western Conference quarterfinals. Curry's Golden State Warriors beat the Los Angeles Clippers, 121-104, combining a team accomplishment with a personal milestone.

Here is what Curry had to say about the record:

Curry's remarks underscore a general concept which matters in sports: volume.

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The volume of Curry's 3-point attempts; the accumulation of confidence over the years, with one success stacked on top of another; and the volume of playoff games Curry has played have all created this record. The quality of Stephen Curry in each playoff game has been impressive in isolation, but those isolated instances have been multiplied many times over. Increased numbers accompanied by increased confidence created the perfect storm Curry needed to surpass Ray Allen on the playoff 3-point makes list.

Ray Allen, like Stephen Curry, has won multiple NBA titles with a legendary jump shot. Curry, though, has been willing to shoot from spots on the floor Allen ordinarily wouldn't try. The volume of Curry's 3-point shots — and his ability to make them often enough to terrorize defenses — catapulted Steph to a higher realm. This isn't a negative commentary on Ray Allen, one of the great clutch shooters of all time; it merely shows how Steph Curry has improbably raised the bar even higher.