"It's because we all crave validation, from the earliest approval of our parents and teachers to credit from our professional peers. [..] We always hear about the "Larry Bird exception" that allows teams to pay higher salaries to their own free agents, but we rarely hear reference to the Oscar Robertson rule that led to NBA free agency in the first place. Any time a player changes teams of his own free will he should thank Robertson for filing the class-action lawsuit that eliminated the league's binding reserve clause. [..] Curry doesn't reflect them. He isn't a continuation of the story they established. [..] Yes, the limits on physical play are different from Robertson's day, and the introduction of and reliance on the 3-point shot have fundamentally altered the sport. [..] when Robertson [..] attributed Curry's success to coaching and defensive shortcomings, saying, "He's shot well because of what's going on in basketball today," it neglected the core truth: Curry has shot well because he has shot well. [..] He won 67 games, the MVP and the championship last year, and yet this should go down as his breakout year. His player efficiency ratinghas gone from 28.06 last season to 32.95 this season, an increase that represents the largest jump for a reigning MVP since the introduction of the 3-point shot in 1979-80. [..] Curry shoots 11 3-pointers a game this season; the average team didn't shoot more than 10 per game until 1994-95. With a record of 288 3s already made, Curry is on track to make more this season than Magic did in his entire career (325). Magic revolutionized the point guard position with height. Curry is revolutionizing it with distance. His shooting range warps defenses by commanding double-teams and even triple-teams beyond the 3-point line. He changes games in ways you might not even notice, such as the way he set up Andre Iguodala's game-tying free throws in Oklahoma City on Saturday night by drawing the defensive attention of Westbrook and Dion Waiters, which left Iguodala open. Two defenders were worried about a guy standing at half court without the ball. That's how dangerous opponents are viewing Curry."
