Moving

I will be continuing the blmtproject on a new website – http://chatterfromthecouch.com/

Check it out!

The Rim Unkind

Think about this.  A free throw is one of the most egalitarian things in sports.  If you train an average Joe Schmo in free throws for a solid year, he might have a good chance at beating Shaquille O’Neal in a free throw shooting contest.  Very few, if any, other sports offer similar odds for the average guy.  Even if you train a solid year, do you think you could hit a serve by Roger Federer?  Take a hole off of Tiger Woods?  Not a chance.  That is the unique beauty of a free throw.

On the other hand, very few things are as cruel as a free throw.  Is it fair that games or even championships can come down to something Joe Schmo off the street could do as well as a professional player?  If you think I am being overdramatic, take the plight of Nick Anderson.

By any measure, Nick Anderson was a distinguished player in the NBA.  He was a solid scorer, 3-point shooter, and defender.  His claim to fame should have been being the first ever draft pick of the Orlando Magic.  Instead, Nick’s claim to infamy is the free throw.

In the 1995 playoffs, Nick’s Orlando Magic were the top seed in the Eastern Conference.  They were led by studs like Shaq and Penny Hardaway.  Leading up to the Finals however, Nick outshined them all by making the defensive play of those playoffs.  In the first game of the Eastern semi-finals, Nick stole the ball away from Michael Jordan late in the game to steal a victory from the Chicago Bulls.  Jordan was so upset by this play that he actually changed jersey numbers.  The Magic went on to win that series in six games.  That play – making the greatest player in history look silly – should have the defining moment of Nick’s career.  Instead, it wasn’t even the defining play (or plays) of those playoffs.  The Magic made it to the Finals, where they were favored over the defending champion Houston Rockets.  The Rockets had made an improbable run to the Finals as the 6^th seed in the Western Conference.  But many people felt their amazing run would finally be stopped by what seemed to be the better and deeper team in the Magic.  And for most of Game 1, this seemed to be the case as the Magic took a huge lead and seemed ready to blow the Rockets out.  The Rockets clawed back, but they were down by three points in the closing seconds with Nick Anderson going to the line to shoot two free throws.  Nick was around a 70% free throw shooter.  Even if he made just one, it would make it a two possession game.  The Orlando home crowd was going nuts.  The Rockets had a look of resignation on their faces.  I was watching at home on TV and lamenting the fact that the Rockets (I usually root for the underdog) missed a golden opportunity to steal Game 1 from the inexperienced Magic.

Nick stepped to the foul line… and missed.  There was a collective groan from the crowd, but no big deal.  Of course he’d make the second one.  And after all, the important thing was to just make one.  Nick stepped up again… and missed.  Unfortunately, the Rockets made the cardinal sin of expecting him to make the free throw.  Nick Anderson grabbed the offensive rebound, and was promptly fouled.  Meanwhile, three letters were going through my head – “WTF”?!  How the hell could Anderson miss two free throws like that?  And even worse, how could the Rockets fail to secure the rebound?  This was it.  The Rockets had blown their chance.  On to Game 2.

So Nick stepped to the line again … and missed.  Oh no.  Oh my God. I knew it just from watching on TV.  I am sure the crowd in Orlando knew it better.  Nick’s teammates knew.  And of course, Nick knew the best.  It was in his head.  He was going to miss four straight. Nick stepped to the line for the fourth straight time with a sheepish grin on his face.  That fourth miss was probably the most predictable missed free throw in NBA history.  The Rockets secured the rebound.  The rest is history.  Kenny Smith drilled a 3-pointer to send the game into overtime, where the Rockets would win the game.  The Rockets won the next 3 games and swept the Magic.  For a young team like the Magic, losing that first game at home in such fashion was just too much to overcome.  I am confident to this day that the Magic had the personnel and ability to beat the Rockets that year.  But those four missed free throws sucked the soul out of that team.

After that, it was downhill for both Nick and the Magic.  They were swept out of the playoffs the following season by the Chicago Bulls.  Shaq left for the Lakers in the following offseason.  It took the Magic 14 years to return to the NBA Finals.  Nick’s free throw shooting took a tumble.  He shot as low as 40% in a season.  It was truly painful to watch.  Yes, free throws can cost you a championship.  Indeed, they have the power to make or break an entire franchise.

Now, Nick’s best free throw shooting season was 1992-93, when he made 74%.  That also happens to be the percentage I hit on today’s BLMT Project.  Today’s journey took me to the in-laws, where they have a basket set up in the backyard.  I measured off roughly 15 feet from the backboard, and went to work.  The wife played with the dog, doing their collective best to distract me.  I didn’t quite feel like a UNC player facing the wrath of the Cameron Crazies, but it was a nice change of pace from the tranquil free throws I shot the other day.

Day 2: 74/100 (74%)

PTD: 133/200 (66.5%)

Not to pat myself on the back, but that is a 15% improvement over last time.  Which immediately makes me wonder… did I screw something up?  I am fairly sure I marked off 15 feet.  If anything, I think the distance I shot my free throws from today may have been a smidgeon longer than 15 feet.  Was the basket regulation height?  Sure looked ten feet to me.  Anyways, the sample size right now is too small to make an accurate assessment.  If my results at the in-laws are consistently higher than my results elsewhere, then I will have to look at making adjustments.  But as things stand now, it is 66.5%.  Incidentally, this happens to put me right at Nick Anderson’s career mark (66.7%).  Funny thing, those free throws.

Building a House begins with a single BRICK

The other day, I had this sudden urge to play basketball.  Luckily, I have a basketball at home.  It is one of those Infusion balls with the built in pump, which came in handy because the ball was quite flat.  With the exception of a game of HORSE I played about a year ago, I had not shot hoops in almost four years.

I grabbed the ball and a bottle of water and set off on my journey to find a court.  I remembered seeing a very nice looking basketball court in Leo J. Ryan Park in Foster City.  The drive was worth it, as the basketball court there is the nicest public court I have ever seen.  The baskets actually have nets and padding, and lines are painted perfectly on to the court.

Since I am a loner, I started shooting by myself.  It was an embarrassing display of basketball, even for my own low standards.  There were a group of kids skateboarding behind me, and I could swear some of them started laughing.  Oh well.

I decided to shoot a couple of free throws.  I toed the line, right foot slightly ahead of the left.  Three low dribbles.  Then I spin the ball once and take a deep breath with my eyes on the basket.  Then I shoot.  Sometimes I make it, sometimes I miss.

Anyways, I decided to go back today.  I was making a lot more of my shots, which boosted my confidence.  I started practicing my free throws again.  Same routine – toe the line, three dribbles, spin ball, deep breath, shoot.  Then I gave that whole routine some thought.  I have been shooting my free throws like that for as long as I can remember.  Why?  That is how Michael Jordan shoots his free throws.

Michael Jordan.  The G.O.A.T.  Just like most near 30-year old basketball fans, I grew up watching and idolizing MJ.  And yes, as a child, I wanted to “Be Like Mike”.  I tried the reverse layup.  The beautiful elbow jump shot.  The intense defense.  I even stuck my tongue out sometimes.  Of course, I maxed out at 6 feet 2 inches of height and was blessed with exactly zero athletic ability.  My basketball “career” ended in middle school.  I realized early on in my life that I would never be like Mike.

It is surprising to me that I did not realize until today that there is one way I can be like Mike on the basketball court – free throws.

Let me throw out some numbers for you.  83.5% – Michael’s career free throw percentage.  833/972 – Michael’s best season for both free throws made and attempted.  That is 85.7%, also a career best for MJ.  27- Michael’s career high for free throw attempts in a game.  These statistics are all important for what I am about to do.

As mentioned already, my lack of athleticism put an early end to my be like Mike dreams.  I have not accomplished anything meaningful in the realm of athletics.  Well, I want to put an end to this.  I want to set a goal and accomplish it.  I want to feel the joy of an athletic accomplishment.  The fact that shooting a free throw is one of the least athletic things you can do in basketball is meaningless to me.

A couple of years ago, I watched a great movie called Better Luck Tomorrow. In that movie, the main character is an overachieving high school student.  He shot 215 free throws everyday, hoping to make 207.  That would exceed Calvin Murphy’s all time record for free throw percentage in a season.  I owe this fictional overachiever a lot for the idea to my own personal challenge.  Hence, I am going to awkwardly call it the Be Like Mike Tomorrow (BLMT) Project. Sue me if you hate the name, as long as you hire me to sue me.

So, here are some initial ground rules:

1.  The ultimate goal is to hit at least 833 out of 972 free throws – I have to have a streak of at least 972 attempts, with me making at least 85.7% of those attempts.  Now, I can throw out attempts prior to the streak, but I cannot throw out attempts during an attempted streak.  I apologize, communicating was never one of my stronger suits.  Basically, if go 0/200 and then hit 900 of my next 1000, I throw out the first 200 attempts.  However, I cannot say throw out a cold streak in between.  So if I go 300/300, 0/300, then 600/700, I can’t just throw out that 0/300 in the middle there.  I hope that makes sense.

2.  I must attempt at least 27 free throws at a time ­– The 27 is symbolic of MJ’s career high for attempts in a game.  I will probably attempt a nice round number like 50.  But I have to do at least 27.  So if I have a hot day and go for 25/25 but then am kicked off the court by Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes, then I am just out of luck for that day.  At least 27. I can warm up by practicing lay ups, jump shots, and dunks on a 5-foot tall basket.  But the moment I actually attempt my first free throw of the day, the streak for that day starts.  I do not get any practice free throws, unless I am willing to blow that day by just attempting less than 27.  Now, free throws during a pick-up game of 21 do not count.

3.  This is an honor system – Trust me, I have no incentive to lie, since most people who know me would probably think making 1 free throw out of 1000 would be impossible for me.

And so, I embarked on my journey today and will be keeping track through this blog.  I would sincerely appreciate any advice or input in improving the blog and/or the BLMT Project.  If there are some obvious ground rules I am missing, please point them out.  So with that, I present the results from today:

DAY 1: 59/100 (59%)

PTD (Project-to-date): 59/100 (59%)

Analysis: Definitely not like Mike.  The disgraceful 59% does put me ahead of legend Shaquille O’Neal (52.7%) but well behind another Chicago Bulls legend, Scottie Pippen (70.4%).

MJ had a reputation for making the clutch shots, and in that regard I fell short as well.  I was sitting at 59/99 and shooting my last free throw of the day to try to get to 60%.  I had to make this last one.  That’s what clutch players do.  They miss all day, then they hit that last clutch shot.  CLANK.  If you need a brick, give me a call.

Anyways, it’s just Day 1.  Like I said, I would appreciate any and all input, mockery, and insults.