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 6th 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.