Steph vs. Sabrina lived up to the hype

Indianapolis – Following internet hype is tough. And Saturday’s first-ever 3-point showdown between Stephen Curry and Sabrina Ionescu generated a lot of buzz leading up to it. During his NBA All-Star weekend festivities in Indianapolis, the question posed to all players and officials, regardless of venue or event, was simple: “Steph or Sabrina?”

Within seconds of the contest starting, we could see that the hype was justified.

Sabrina Ionescu started the contest by choosing to shoot from the NBA 3-point line, but was unsuccessful in her first two racks, hitting all five of her Moneyball attempts in the first rack. It happened only once. She scored 14 points on her first 10 shots and finished with 26 points.

Stephen Curry responded, saving his streak later in the round. And he needed every bit of it, as his final shot on the final rack (the Moneyball rack he chose) gave him 28 points, the win and the inaugural three-point championship belt.

“I saw the first rack and I think she made the first six, maybe seven shots. I had flashbacks to when I watched the games this summer,” Curry said. “In any competition, whether it was this time or a normal three-point competition, we both could have made it to the next round. So it certainly added quite a bit of pressure. .”

There was definitely a lot of pressure and focus already on this event. Neither player had played earlier in the night and played in the cold. Both had only one round left.

And while it comes midway through the season for Curry, Ionescu is still months away from starting the season.

All of this makes Ionescu’s performance from the jump very impressive. It immediately enlivened the event and justified it in many ways.

The showdown has been in the works for weeks since it was announced, but it actually took much longer than that. Steph holds the NBA 3-point contest scoring record, scoring 31 of his 40 points at the 2021 Saturday Night All-Star.

Meanwhile, Sabrina erased that record with her amazing performance in this competition. WNBA During All-Star weekend, he made 25 of his final 26 shots and scored 37 of a possible 40 points. This is easily her best 3-point performance in a professional contest, whether in the WNBA or the NBA.

In January, Steph announced her challenge in a rather coy manner while on the TNT microphone, which quickly made headlines. The Athletic’s Shams Charania As an added event to All-Star Weekend.

After weeks of discussion and debate, this event started to feel like the biggest deal yet for a night that was once again full of misfires on All-Star Saturday.

But Sabrina vs. Steph didn’t follow an underwhelming script. The buzz in the arena that night was louder than it was after she nailed her first 10 shots. Never before has the audience been as excited as this event.

Ionescu was notable, matching the highest score of the night among NBA players in the contest. In fact, her 26 points were exactly the same as Damian Lillard scored in the final round to win the three-point contest.

“Honestly, I’m really happy to be able to get out there and start filming,” Ionescu said. “Obviously, there was a lot of build-up to this and a lot of excitement surrounding it. So, to be honest, I was excited to finally get the chance to get out there and film it.”

The great result of that night was that the door opened. And overall, it’s Sabrina’s words that resonate the most.

The WNBA’s best shooter faced off against the best shooter of all time. The visual of Ionescu pushing Curry to his limits will not be forgotten by the important audience it will reach.

“I think the media has changed the conversation for the boys and girls who watch us play. It doesn’t matter what gym you go to. Don’t discount who’s on the left and who’s on the right,” Curry said. said. “If they can shoot, they can shoot. We can compete and have fun. Hopefully we can be a model for what it’s like on the biggest stage.

“We’ll see in the long run,” Curry continued, adding, “She’s just starting her career, so I’ll let her talk about that. But we’re not going to talk about how great the women’s game is. We will continue to find great ways to continue to drive conversation, capture attention, and generate energy around it. This was a small step in that direction.”

The last point feels more meaningful. The door is wide open for future versions of this event.

Caitlin Clark’s name was mentioned multiple times by those in attendance that night, assuming she would be entering the WNBA this spring.

Lillard won his second straight title in the 3-point contest.

steph curry is We’re ready to bring it back next season..

“We’ve been talking about finding another way to change this next year,” Ionescu said. “I think he has a partner in mind that will do it with him. So I’m open to any partner that can help me win and get that belt.”

Living up to the hype on Saturday, Steph vs. Sabrina turned heads and set the stage for a potentially bigger future on and off the court.

“Of course, we are very grateful to everyone who helped us realize this dream that was possible for both of us,” Ionescu said. “We’re very excited to see what the future holds as more people have the opportunity to do things like this.”