Stephen Curry reflected on a "pretty special" achievement after surpassing the legendary Ray Allen to become the NBA's all-time leader for postseason three-pointers.

The superstar point guard was in top form as the Golden State Warriors earned a 121-104 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 1 of their Western Conference first-round series at Oracle Arena.

Curry trailed Allen by seven heading into Sunday's encounter and drained his eighth in the third quarter to take his postseason threes to 386.

It has taken Curry just seven trips to the playoffs to break the record, in comparison to 11 for Allen, and he was in buoyant mood.

"That's pretty special. I mean, I always talk about longevity and the all-time great shooters. Ray Allen, Reggie Miller - anytime we can pass them in the record books, it's pretty special," Curry said.

"I shot a lot of [three-pointers], so I got to make a lot of them.

"The way I play, the shots I take, obviously have confidence every time you rise up, but to be in the same category and to pass a guy like Ray Allen and all the iconic moments he's had in playoff games and Finals games and all that type of stuff, it's pretty surreal.

"So [I'm] definitely honoured and grateful for those opportunities. I always joke, though: I shoot a lot of threes. I'd better make a lot of them."

Warriors coach Steve Kerr was astounded by the achievement of Curry, who had 38 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists.

"That's remarkable, given that he's kind of right in his prime," he said. "He's got a lot of years left."

Golden State forward Draymond Green believes the argument over who is the greatest shooter in NBA history has now been closed.

"I don't think there's much argument when anyone says he's the greatest shooter of all time," Green said. 

"I don't know if you can find many people to argue that."