Hall-of-Famer sharpshooter Ray Allen recently gave Stephen Curry some high praise.

“People have compared himself to myself and to Reggie [Miller] and to other great past shooters in the NBA. But he really […] he really operates somewhat in a lane of his own,” Allen said.

Allen is right. Curry is one-of-a-kind. Warriors’ commentator Bob Fitzgerald always jokes about how opponents must guard Curry when he enters the parking lot, but he’s not wrong. You can never relax when Curry is on the floor.

Shooters of the past would often rely on getting hot within the flow of the offense by using down screens and plays designed for them. Often, what makes Miller and Allen so dangerous were the multiple screens that they would come off. Defenders would always be two or three steps behind, and that would be more than enough space for the elite shooters in the NBA.

What separates Curry from the rest of the pack is his ability to create separation. His handle is unique and his ability to read the defense is elite. He has countermoves on countermoves and always seems to be ready to switch things up if necessary.

Additionally, the audacity in which some of Curry’s long-distance heaves has been well documented. Even the thought of pulling up from the hash mark would earn a player a nice seat on the bench back in the 90’s, but now it’s common to see even the most average of shooters to be pulling up from that distance.

Curry has truly changed the game. When Allen talks about Curry as a unique shooter and someone who operates in a lane of his own, it’s true.

Allen currently holds one of the most sought-after records for shooters. Standing atop of the record books, Allen has cemented himself as one of the greatest shooters of all time, holding the record at 2,973.

With Curry closely nipping at his heels by trailing with 15 threes away, Curry has a chance to break Allen’s record this week versus the Blazers on Dec. 8 or the Sixers on Dec. 11.

When asked about the potential of breaking two records against the Blazers - Allen’s three-point record and Klay’s single game record of 14 threes – this is what Curry had to say.

“That’s funny because I know what that means is Klay’s record and all that, too,” Curry said. “So, we will see. If you’ve been seeing the way I’ve played, especially recently, I’m not shy about shooting the ball, so the game with dictate what that looks like. I’m not coming out with that as the true goal of how I play, but crazier things have happened.”

(Photo credit: AP)