NBA: Could We See The 900 3-Pointer Barrier Broken In 2013-14?

Ray Allen is the most prolific 3-point shooter in professional basketball history. (Flickr.com photo/Keith Allison)

The 3-point shot came to the NBA for the 1979-80 season, but it’s been around longer than that—a lot longer, actually.

John Profant of Columbia made four 3-pointers and teammate Norman Skinner made three of them in a 73-58 college basketball victory over Fordham in February 1945 in a game that featured a 3-point line placed 21 feet from the basket. Columbia made 11 of the long balls and Fordham hit nine.

That wasn’t the only new rule that day—free-throw shooters were allowed the option of shooting the conventional 15-foot shot for one point or taking a shot from the 3-point line that would count for two points. The foul lane was widened from six feet to 12 feet for that game, a change the NCAA made permanent in 1956.

The 3-pointer went away after that game, but was revived in 1961 with the creation of the American Basketball League. Since the ABL only lasted a season and a half, the new shot didn’t make much of a splash. But teams in the ABL didn’t use it a lot.

Only one team, the Chicago Majors, put up as many as 10 3-pointers a game and the team that won the title, the Cleveland Pipers, shot only a little more than five a night.

The ABL died in the middle of its second season in 1962-63 and it was again the Majors who led the way in long-distance bombing.

Here’s a look at the best and worst and highest and lowest volume 3-point shooting teams from the ABL:

MOST	TEAM	G	3FG	3FA	Pct
1961-62	Chicago Majors	83	283	870	32.5
1962-63	Chicago Majors	28	138	457	30.2
FEWEST
1961-62	Cleveland Pipers	81	128	418	30.6
1962-63	Pittsburgh Rens	22	37	119	31.1
BEST
1961-62	Chicago Majors	83	283	870	32.5
1962-63	Philadelphia Tapers	28	46	147	31.3
WORST
1961-62	San Francisco Saints	76	139	526	26.4
1962-63	Kansas City Steers	31	72	287	25.1

And here are the players who were the best, most active and most shameless about putting up the 3, based on a minimum of 25 makes for the one full season.

BEST	PLAYER	G	3FG	3FA	Pct
1961-62	Dan Swartz, Los Angeles-Washington/New York	70	34	81	42.0
MOST
1961-62	Tony Jackson, Washington/New York-Chicago	72	141	383	36.8
WORST
1961-62	Win Wilfong, Kansas City	69	25	111	22.5

So the 3-pointer went away for awhile, but was revived in 1967 with the birth of the American Basketball Association. One of the biggest champions of the 3-pointer for the ABA, oddly enough, was Hall of Fame big man George Mikan, who rarely shot the ball from further out than about 10 feet when he dominated the 1940s and 1950s with the Minneapolis Lakers.

Jerry Harkness made one of the most memorable 3-pointers in ABA history, a 92-foot buzzer beater that lifted the Indiana Pacers to a one-point win over the Dallas Chaparrals in November 1967.

Jerry Harkness made a splash with the 3-ball in early November of the ABA’s first season. The Indiana Pacers trailed the Dallas Chaparrals 118-116 with a second to go in the game. The Pacers inbounded the ball to Harkness, who only had time to heave the ball downcourt. It caromed off the backboard and through the rim and the Pacers went nuts—they had tied the game and were going to overtime.

Except they weren’t.

It took a minute or so, but official Joe Belmont came over to Harkness with some even better news. “’Jerry, it’s over,’” Harkness recalled Belmont telling him. “’That was a 3-pointer.’”

Louie Dampier of the Kentucky Colonels was the ABA’s all-time leader in 3-point volume.

Honestly, though, few coaches in the ABA looked at the 3-pointer as a weapon. One ABA coach admitted that, at first, he never used the shot unless his team was desperate for points late in a game.

Hubie Brown coached for two seasons in the ABA and told Terry Pluto in “Loose Balls: The Short Wild Like of the American Basketball Association” that the 3-pointer made coaching more difficult.

“You have to tell your players to remember who the shooters are and when those guys are 25 feet from the basket, get in their jocks and guard them,” Brown said. “Don’t give them the 25-footer, which is something players had been conditioned to do all their lives. And as a coach, if you have a shooter with range, you have to give him the freedom to take the 25-footer, which is a philosophy that goes against what you learned as a young coach—namely, pound the ball inside.”

Here’s a look at how the ABA evolved in terms of team shooting (bold-face means a new record):

MOST	TEAM	G	3FG	3FA	Pct
1967-68	Pittsburgh Pipers	78	243	790	30.8
1968-69	Minnesota Pipers	78	281	1006	27.9
1968-69	Kentucky Colonels	78	335	948	35.3
1969-70	Kentucky Colonels	84	330	923	35.8
1970-71	Indiana Pacers	84	306	1024	29.9
1971-72	New York Nets	84	172	501	34.3
1971-72	Kentucky Colonels	84	134	514	26.1
1972-73	Indiana Pacers	84	172	551	31.2
1973-74	San Diego Conquistadors	84	216	736	29.4
1974-75	Indiana Pacers	84	224	718	31.2
1975-76	Indiana Pacers	84	250	771	32.4
BEST
1967-68	Pittsburgh Pipers	78	243	790	30.8
1968-69	Kentucky Colonels	78	335	948	35.3
1969-70	Kentucky Colonels	84	330	923	35.8
1970-71	Carolina Cougars	84	191	556	34.4
1971-72	New York Nets	84	172	501	34.3
1972-73	Dallas Chaparrals	84	145	440	33.0
1973-74	Denver Rockets	84	107	325	32.9
1974-75	Memphis Sounds	84	177	497	35.6
1975-76	Kentucky Colonels	84	111	331	33.5

And here are the players who were notable in their usage of the 3, based on 20 makes per season (except for 1974-75, when the ABA upped the qualification standard to 27. Why 27? Why not, I guess.)

MOST	PLAYER	G	3FG	3PA	Pct
1967-68	Lester Selvage, Anaheim Amigos	78	147	461	31.9
1968-69	Louie Dampier, Kentucky Colonels	78	199	552	36.1
1969-70	Louie Dampier, Kentucky Colonels	82	198	548	36.1
1970-71	George Lehmann, Carolina Cougars	83	154	382	40.3
1971-72	Glen Combs, Utah Stars	84	103	254	40.6
1971-72	Warren Jabali, Floridians	81	102	285	35.8
1972-73	Bill Keller, Indiana Pacers	83	71	222	32.0
1973-74	Bo Lamar, San Diego Conquistadors	84	69	247	27.9
1974-75	Bill Keller, Indiana Pacers	79	80	240	33.3
1975-76	Bill Keller, Indiana Pacers	78	123	349	35.2
BEST
1967-68	Steve Jones, Oakland Oaks	76	23	54	42.6
1968-69	Darel Carrier, Kentucky Colonels	73	125	330	37.9
1969-70	Darel Carrier, Kentucky Colonels	77	105	280	37.5
1970-71	George Lehmann, Carolina Cougars	83	154	382	40.3
1971-72	Red Robbins, Utah Stars	78	29	71	40.9
1972-73	Simmie Hill, San Diego Conquistadors	69	27	69	39.1
1973-74	Louie Dampier, Kentucky Colonels	84	48	124	38.7
1974-75	Billy Shepherd, Memphis Sounds	69	60	143	42.0
1975-76	Brian Taylor, New York Nets	54	32	76	42.1
WORST
1967-68	Ronald Franz, Oakland Oaks	74	25	97	25.8
1968-69	Larry Jones, Denver Rockets	75	24	100	24.0
1969-70	Bob Warren, Los Angeles Stars	72	25	107	23.4
1970-71	Bob Warren, Memphis Pros	46	21	81	25.9
1971-72	Loyd King, Memphis Pros	74	21	87	24.1
1972-73	Warren Jabali, Denver Rockets	82	36	140	25.7
1973-74	Joe Hamilton, Spurs-Colonels	73	37	144	25.7
1974-75	Lloyd Batts, Virginia Squires	58	42	147	28.6
1975-76	Mike Flynn, Indiana Pacers	67	25	99	25.3

As far as career numbers go, Darel Carrier was the ABA’s all-time leader in 3-point percentage, making 37.7 percent over his six seasons with the Kentucky Colonels and Memphis Tams. Louie Dampier was the all-time leader in makes with 794 while playing all nine of the ABA’s campaigns with the Colonels.

The NBA finally adopted the 3-pointer in 1979, despite a prevailing opinion from many in the league that it was merely a gimmick.

Usage of the 3-ball dropped off dramatically in the second year it was in the NBA and by the 1982-83 season, only four players made the required 25 3-pointers to qualify for the league lead.

Here are the team numbers (bold indicates new record, italics indicate seasons 3-point line was shortened):

MOST	TEAM	G	3FG	3FA	Pct
1979-80	San Diego Clippers	82	177	543	32.6
1980-81	San Diego Clippers	82	132	407	32.4
1981-82	San Diego Clippers	82	99	338	29.3
1981-82	Indiana Pacers	82	103	316	32.6
1982-83	San Antonio Spurs	82	94	308	30.5
1983-84	Utah Jazz	82	101	317	31.9
1984-85	Dallas Mavericks	82	152	443	34.3
1985-86	Dallas Mavericks	82	141	446	31.6
1986-87	Dallas Mavericks	82	231	653	35.4
1987-88	Boston Celtics	82	271	705	38.4
1988-89	New York Knicks	82	386	1147	33.7
1989-90	Cleveland Cavaliers	82	346	851	40.7
1990-91	Denver Nuggets	82	300	1059	28.3
1990-91	Portland Trail Blazers	82	341	904	37.7
1991-92	Milwaukee Bucks	82	371	1005	36.9
1992-93	Phoenix Suns	82	398	1095	36.4
1993-94	Houston Rockets	82	429	1285	33.4
1994-95	Houston Rockets	82	646	1757	36.8
1995-96	Dallas Mavericks	82	735	2039	36.1
1996-97	Miami Heat	82	678	1865	36.4
1997-98	Houston Rockets	82	573	1670	34.3
1997-98	Seattle SuperSonics	82	621	1569	39.6
1998-99	Sacramento Kings	50	290	943	30.8
1999-00	Sacramento Kings	82	534	1656	32.3
1999-00	Indiana Pacers	82	583	1487	39.2
2000-01	Boston Celtics	82	592	1633	36.3
2001-02	Boston Celtics	82	699	1946	35.9
2002-03	Boston Celtics	82	719	2155	33.4
2003-04	Seattle SuperSonics	82	723	1936	37.4
2004-05	Phoenix Suns	82	796	2026	39.3
2005-06	Phoenix Suns	82	837	2097	39.9
2006-07	Golden State Warriors	82	700	1967	35.6
2006-07	Phoenix Suns	82	785	1965	40.0
2007-08	Golden State Warriors	82	761	2185	34.8
2008-09	New York Knicks	82	823	2284	36.0
2009-10	Orlando Magic	82	841	2241	37.5
2010-11	Orlando Magic	82	770	2103	36.6
2011-12	Orlando Magic	66	670	1785	37.5
2012-13	New York Knicks	82	891	2371	37.6

BEST	TEAM	G	3FG	3FA	Pct
1979-80	Boston Celtics	82	162	422	38.4
1980-81	San Diego Clippers	82	132	407	32.4
1981-82	Indiana Pacers	82	103	316	32.6
1982-83	San Antonio Spurs	82	94	308	30.5
1983-84	Utah Jazz	82	101	317	31.9
1984-85	Boston Celtics	82	110	309	35.6
1985-86	Boston Celtics	82	138	393	35.1
1986-87	Los Angeles Lakers	82	164	447	36.7
1987-88	Boston Celtics	82	271	705	38.4
1988-89	Seattle SuperSonics	82	293	774	37.9
1989-90	Cleveland Cavaliers	82	346	851	40.7
1990-91	Portland Trail Blazers	82	341	904	37.7
1991-92	Phoenix Suns	82	227	596	38.1
1992-93	Cleveland Cavaliers	82	283	742	38.1
1993-94	Indiana Pacers	82	184	500	36.8
1994-95	Charlotte Hornets	82	560	1409	39.7
1995-96	Washington Bullets	82	493	1212	40.7
1996-97	Charlotte Hornets	82	591	1382	42.8
1997-98	Seattle SuperSonics	82	621	1569	39.6
1998-99	Milwaukee Bucks	50	231	619	37.3
1999-00	Indiana Pacers	82	583	1487	39.2
2000-01	San Antonio Spurs	82	445	1094	40.7
2001-02	Washington Wizards	82	305	786	38.8
2002-03	Milwaukee Bucks	82	585	1526	38.3
2003-04	Sacramento Kings	82	601	1498	40.1
2004-05	Phoenix Suns	82	796	2026	39.3
2005-06	Phoenix Suns	82	837	2097	39.9
2006-07	Phoenix Suns	82	785	1965	40.0
2007-08	Phoenix Suns	82	694	1764	39.3
2008-09	Boston Celtics	82	538	1355	39.7
2009-10	Phoenix Suns	82	730	1770	41.2
2010-11	San Antonio Spurs	82	685	1727	39.7
2011-12	San Antonio Spurs	66	524	1351	38.8
2012-13	Golden State Warriors	82	658	1632	40.3

And the individual player numbers are below: (Note that qualification standards have changed along the way. It was 25 makes from 1979-80 through 1989-90, 50 from 1990-91 through 1993-94, 82 from 1994-95 through 1996-97—more on that in a bit—back to 55 for 1997-98, 34 for the lockout-shortened 1998-99 and 55 since 1999-2000, except for lockout-shortened 2011-12, when it was 44):

MOST	PLAYER	G	3FG	3FA	Pct
1979-80	Brian Taylor, San Diego Clippers	78	90	239	37.7
1980-81	Mike Bratz, Cleveland Cavaliers	80	57	169	33.8
1981-82	Don Buse, Indiana Pacers	82	73	189	38.6
1981-82	Joe Hassett. Golden State Warriors	82	71	214	33.2
1982-83	Mike Dunleavy, San Antonio Spurs	79	67	194	34.5
1983-84	Darrell Griffith, Utah Jazz	82	91	252	36.1
1984-85	Darrell Griffith, Utah Jazz	78	92	257	35.8
1985-86	Larry Bird, Boston Celtics	82	82	194	42.3
1986-87	Larry Bird, Boston Celtics	74	90	225	40.0
1986-87	Dale Ellis, Seattle SuperSonics	82	86	240	35.8
1987-88	Danny Ainge, Boston Celtics	81	148	357	41.5
1987-88	Michael Adams, Denver Nuggets	82	139	379	36.7
1988-89	Michael Adams, Denver Nuggets	77	166	466	35.6
1989-90	Michael Adams, Denver Nuggets	79	158	432	36.6
1990-91	Vernon Maxwell, Houston Rockets	80	172	510	33.7
1990-91	Michael Adams, Denver Nuggets	66	167	564	29.6
1991-92	Vernon Maxwell, Houston Rockets	80	162	473	34.3
1992-93	Dan Majerle, Phoenix Suns	82	167	438	38.1
1992-93	Reggie Miller, Indiana Pacers	82	167	419	39.9
1993-94	Dan Majerle, Phoenix Suns	80	192	503	38.2
1994-95	John Starks, New York Knicks	80	217	611	35.5
1995-96	Dennis Scott, Orlando Magic	82	267	628	42.5
1995-96	George McCloud. Dallas Mavericks	79	257	*678*	37.9
1996-97	Reggie Miller, Indiana Pacers	81	229	536	42.7
1996-97	Mookie Blaylock, Atlanta Hawks	78	221	604	36.6
1997-98	Wesley Person, Cleveland Cavaliers	82	192	447	43.0
1998-99	Dee Brown, Toronto Raptors	49	135	349	38.7
1999-00	Gary Payton, Seattle SuperSonics	82	177	520	34.0
2000-01	Antoine Walker, Boston Celtics	81	221	603	36.7
2001-02	Ray Allen, Milwaukee Bucks	69	229	528	43.4
2001-02	Antoine Walker, Boston Celtics	81	222	645	34.4
2002-03	Ray Allen, Bucks-SuperSonics	76	201	533	37.7
2002-03	Antoine Walker, Boston Celtics	78	188	582	32.3
2003-04	Peja Stojakovic, Sacramento Kings	81	240	554	43.3
2003-04	Baron Davis, New Orleans Hornets	67	187	582	32.1
2004-05	Kyle Korver, Philadelphia 76ers	82	226	558	40.5
2004-05	Quentin Richardson, Phoenix Suns	79	226	631	35.8
2005-06	Ray Allen, Seattle SuperSonics	78	269	653	41.2
2006-07	Gilbert Arenas, Washington Wizards	74	205	584	35.1
2006-07	Raja Bell, Phoenix Suns	78	205	496	41.3
2007-08	Jason Richardson, Charlotte Bobcats	82	243	599	40.6
2008-09	Rashard Lewis, Orlando Magic	79	220	554	39.7
2009-10	Aaron Brooks, Houston Rockets	82	209	525	39.8
2010-11	Dorell Wright. Golden State Warriors	82	194	516	37.6
2011-12	Ryan Anderson, Orlando Magic	61	166	422	39.3
2012-13	Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors	78	272	600	45.3

BEST	PLAYER	G	3FG	3FA	Pct
1979-80	Fred Brown, Seattle SuperSonics	80	39	88	44.3
1980-81	Brian Taylor, San Diego Clippers	80	44	115	38.3
1981-82	Campy Russell, New York Knicks	77	25	57	43.9
1982-83	Mike Dunleavy, San Antonio Spurs	79	67	194	34.5
1983-84	Darrell Griffith, Utah Jazz	82	91	252	36.1
1984-85	Byron Scott, Los Angeles Lakers	81	26	60	43.3
1985-86	Craig Hodges, Milwaukee Bucks	66	73	162	45.1
1986-87	Kiki Vandeweghe, Portland Trail Blazers	79	39	81	48.2
1987-88	Craig Hoghes, Bucks-Suns	66	86	175	49.1
1988-89	Jon Sundvold, Miami Heat	68	48	92	52.2
1989-90	Steve Kerr, Cleveland Cavaliers	78	73	144	50.7
1990-91	Jim Les, Sacramento Kings	55	71	154	46.1
1991-92	Dana Barros, Seattle SuperSonics	75	83	186	44.6
1992-93	B.J. Armstrong, Chicago Bulls	82	63	139	45.3
1993-94	Tracy Murray, Portland Trail Blazers	66	50	109	45.9
1994-95	Steve Kerr, Chicago Bulls	82	89	170	*52.4*
1995-96	Tim Legler, Washington Bullets	77	128	245	52.2
1996-97	Glen Rice, Charlotte Hornets	79	207	440	47.1
1997-98	Dale Ellis, Seattle SuperSonics	79	127	274	46.4
1998-99	Dell Curry, Milwaukee Bucks	42	69	145	47.6
1999-00	Hubert Davis, Dallas Mavericks	79	82	167	49.1
2000-01	Brent Barry, Seattle SuperSonics	67	109	229	47.6
2001-02	Steve Smith, San Antonio Spurs	77	116	246	47.2
2002-03	Bruce Bowen, San Antonio Spurs	82	101	229	44.1
2003-04	Anthony Peeler, Sacramento Kings	75	68	141	48.2
2004-05	Fred Hoiberg. Minnesota Timberwolves	76	70	145	48.3
2005-06	Richard Hamilton, Detroit Pistons	80	55	120	45.8
2006-07	Jason Kapono, Miami Heat	67	108	210	51.4
2007-08	Jason Kapono, Toronto Raptors	81	57	118	48.3
2008-09	Anthony Morrow, Golden State Warriors	67	86	184	46.7
2009-10	Kyle Korver, Utah Jazz	52	59	110	53.6
2010-11	Matt Bonner, San Antonio Spurs	66	105	230	45.7
2011-12	Steve Novak, New York Knicks	54	133	282	47.2
2012-13	Jose Calderon, Raptors-Pistons	73	130	282	46.1

WORST	PLAYER	G	3FG	3FA	Pct
1979-80	Micheal Ray Richardson, New York Knicks	82	27	110	24.6
1980-81	Scott Wedman, Kansas City Kings	81	25	77	32.5
1981-82	Reggie Theus, Chicago Bulls	82	25	100	25.0
1982-83	Allen Leavell, Houston Rockets	79	42	175	24.0
1983-84	Ricky Sobers, Washington Bullets	81	29	111	26.1
1984-85	Micheal Ray Richardson, New Jersey Nets	82	29	115	25.2
1985-86	Mike Evans, Denver Nuggets	81	39	176	22.2
1986-87	Jim Paxson, Portland Trail Blazers	72	26	98	26.5
1987-88	Mark Jackson, New York Knicks	82	32	126	25.4
1988-89	Charles Barkley, Philadelphia 76ers	79	35	162	21.6
1989-90	Reggie Theus, Orlando Magic	76	26	105	24.8
1990-91	Michael Adams, Denver Nuggets	66	167	564	29.6
1991-92	Ron Harper, Los Angeles Clippers	82	64	211	30.3
1992-93	Ron Harper, Los Angeles Clippers	80	52	186	28.0
1993-94	Anfernee Hardaway, Orlando Magic	82	50	187	26.7
1994-95	Latrell Sprewell, Golden State Warriors	69	90	326	27.6
1995-96	Anfernee Hardaway, Orlando Magic	82	89	283	31.5
1996-97	Jerry Stackhouse, Philadelphia 76ers	81	102	342	29.8
1997-98	Mookie Blaylock, Atlanta Hawks	70	90	334	27.0
1998-99	Jerry Stackhouse, Detroit Pistons	42	35	126	27.8
1999-00	Antoine Walker, Boston Celtics	82	73	285	25.6
2000-01	Rodney Rogers, Phoenix Suns	82	56	189	29.6
2001-02	George McCloud, Denver Nuggets	69	60	222	27.0
2002-03	Allen Iverson, Philadelphia 76ers	82	84	303	27.7
2003-04	Antoine Walker, Dallas Mavericks	82	82	305	26.9
2004-05	Larry Hughes, Washington Wizards	61	59	209	28.2
2005-06	Troy Murphy, Golden State Warriors	74	58	181	32.0
2006-07	Stephen Jackson, Pacers-Warriors	75	100	311	32.2
2007-08	Devin Harris, Mavericks-Nets	64	56	167	33.5
2008-09	C.J. Miles, Utah Jazz	72	63	179	35.2
2009-10	Monta Ellis, Golden State Warriors	64	77	228	33.8
2010-11	Andrea Bargnani, Toronto Raptors	66	77	223	34.5
2011-12	Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks	55	68	203	33.5
2012-13	Keith Bogans, Brooklyn Nets	74	84	245	34.3

The pro distance for the 3-pointer in the ABL and ABA was 23 feet, 9 inches and 22 feet from the corners and that is what the NBA adopted. But when offenses stalled out in the mid-1990s, the guys in the suits decided to move the arc in to 22 feet in an effort to increase scoring.

What they didn’t realize was that the 3-point line served as the spacing guide for offenses—when the line moved in, the offense began operating in a more compact space and scoring didn’t increase, it decreased.

In the three seasons prior to the change (1991-92 through 1993-94), team scoring averaged 105.6 points per game, but in the three years the distance was shortened, that figure dropped to 100.8 per game.

In 1997-98, the line moved back to its original distance.

The evolution of the 3-pointer as an offensive weapon was slow at first, but once it took off, it took off in a big way.

Here are some of the team mileposts along the way:

Brian Taylor led the NBA in 3-pointers taken and made in 1979-80, the first year the league added the shot.

1961-62: Chicago Majors of the ABL attempt a professional record 870 3-pointers and make a pro record 283, shooting 32.5 percent.
1968-69: Minnesota Muskies (ABA) the first team to attempt 1,000 3-pointers in a season, Kentucky Colonels (ABA) the first to make 300 (335), shoot 35.3 percent.
1969-70: Kentucky Colonels shoot 35.8 percent.
1970-71: Indiana Pacers (ABA) attempt record 1,024 3-pointers.
1979-80: San Diego Clippers attempt 543 3-pointers, make 177. Boston Celtics shoot 38.39 percent (162-for-422).
1986-87: Dallas Mavericks attempt 653 3-pointers, make 231.
1987-88: Boston Celtics attempt 705 3-pointers, make 271, shoot 38.44 percent.
1988-89: New York Knicks attempt 1,147 3-pointers, make 386.
1989-90: Cleveland Cavaliers shoot 40.66 percent (346-for-851).
1992-93: Phoenix Suns make 398 3-pointers.
1993-94: Houston Rockets attempt 1,285 3-pointers, make 429.
1994-95: Shorter line leads to explosion of 3s—Houston Rockets attempt 1,757, make 646.
1995-96: Dallas Mavericks attempt 2,039 3-pointers, make 735; Washington Bullets shoot 40.68 percent (493-for-1,212).
1996-97: Charlotte Hornets shoot 42.76 percent (591-for-1,382).
1997-98: Line returned to original distance—Houston Rockets attempt 1,670 3-pointers, Seattle SuperSonics make 621.
2001-02: Boston Celtics attempt 1,946 3-pointers, make 699.
2002-03: Boston Celtics attempt 2,155 3-pointers, make 719.
2003-04: Seattle SuperSonics make 723 3-pointers.
2004-05: Phoenix Suns make 796 3-pointers.
2005-06: Phoenix Suns make 837 3-pointers.
2007-08: Golden State Warriors attempt 2,185 3-pointers.
2008-09: New York Knicks attempt 2,284 3-pointers.
2009-10: Orlando Magic make 841 3-pointers, Phoenix Suns shoot 41.24 percent (730-for-1,770).
2012-13: New York Knicks attempt 2,371 3-pointers, make 891.

Individual landmarks are below:

Michael Adams of the Denver Nuggets was the first NBA player to attempt more than 500 3-pointers in one season.

1961-62: Tony Jackson (New York Tapers/Chicago Majors-ABL) attempts 383 3-pointers, makes 141; Dan Swartz (Los Angeles Jets-Washington/New York Tapers-ABL) shoots 41.98 percent (34-for-81).
1967-68: Lester Selvage (Anaheim Amigos-ABA) attempts 461 3-pointers, makes 147; Steve Jones (Oakland Oaks-ABA) shoots 42.59 percent (23-for-54).
1968-69: Louie Dampier (Kentucky Colonels-ABA) attempts 552 3-pointers, makes 199.
1979-80: Brian Taylor (San Diego Clippers) attempts 239 3-pointers, makes 90; Fred Brown (Seattle SuperSonics) shoots 44.32 percent (39-for-88).
1983-84: Darrell Griffith (Utah Jazz) attempts 252 3-pointers, makes 91.
1984-85: Darrell Griffith (Utah Jazz) attempts 257 3-pointers, makes 92.
1985-86: Craig Hodges (Milwaukee Bucks) shoots 45.06 percent (73-for-162).
1986-87: Kiki Vandeweghe (Portland Trail Blazers) makes 48.15 percent (39-for-81).
1987-88: Michael Adams (Denver Nuggets) attempts 379 3-pointers, Danny Ainge (Boston Celtics) makes 148, Craig Hodges (Bucks-Suns) shoots 49.14 percent (86=for-175).
1988-89: Michael Adams (Denver Nuggets) attempts 466 3-pointers, makes 166; Jon Sundvold (Miami Heat) shoots 52.17 percent (48-for-92).
1990-91: Michael Adams (Denver Nuggets) attempts 564 3-pointers, Vernon Maxwell (Houston Rockets) makes 172.
1993-94: Dan Majerle (Phoenix Suns) makes 192 3-pointers.
1994-95: Line shortened; John Starks (New York Knicks) attempts 611 3-pointers, makes 217; Steve Kerr (Chicago Bulls) shoots 52.35 percent (89-for-170).
1995-96: George McCloud (Dallas Mavericks) attempts 678 3-pointers, Dennis Scott (Orlando Magic) makes 267.
1997-98: Line returned to original distance, Wesley Person (Cleveland Cavaliers) makes 192 3-pointers.
2000-01: Antoine Walker (Boston Celtics) attempts 603 3-pointers, makes 221.
2001-02: Antoine Walker (Boston Celtics) attempts 645 3-pointers, Ray Allen (Milwaukee Bucks) makes 229.
2003-04: Peja Stojakovic (Sacramento Kings) makes 240 3-pointers.
2005-06: Ray Allen (Seattle SuperSonics) attempts 653 3-pointers, makes 269.
2009-10: Kyle Korver (Utah Jazz) shoots 53.64 percent (59-for-110).
2012-13: Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors) makes 272 3-pointers.

In terms of accumulatables, Ray Allen is the most prolific 3-point shooter in pro basketball history with 2,857 makes over his 17 seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks, Seattle SuperSonics, Boston Celtics and Miami Heat. Journeyman Steve Kerr is the most accurate 3-point shooter ever at 45.4 percent over a 15-year career with the Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic, Chicago Bulls, San Antonio Spurs and Portland Trail Blazers.

Given that the NBA—all of professional sports, truthfully—is a copycat league, the use of the 3-pointer will continue to grow. The Knicks approached the 30 attempts per game mark in 2012-13 (28.9) and made almost 11 a night (10.9).

Making 900 3-pointers would require only a fractional increase over the current record set last year by the Knicks (10.98 per game). Looking at how 3-point usage has continued to increase on an annual basis over the last decade, it’s reasonable to assume that cracking the 12.2 per game barrier for made 3s to reach 1,000 is a matter of “when” rather than “if.”

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