3 Pointer Basketball Quotes

At the same time, the 3-point line starts to look more and more inviting. In the opening five minutes of the average NBA game, 17 percent of attempts are 3-pointers. In the clutch, 27 percent are 3-pointers. Accuracy plummets on those shots from 38% down to 31%, dropping from 1.15 points per shot to 0.93 points per shot. This is not a function of desperation 3-pointers or high-variance strategy – teams simply switch their tactics at the end of games. And they probably aren't even aware of this.117

Right after we signed {George} Gervin, I took him to one of our games and he sat in the stands next to me. After it was over, we walked down to the court. George was wearing a T-shirt, jeans and tennis shoes. He said, 'Why don't they use the 3-point shot more?' I said, 'Coach [Al] Bianchi doesn't think it's a good percentage shot unless we're behind at the end of the game.' George said, 'Suppose you could make 15-of-20.' I said, 'George, that's a really long shot.' He said, 'But say you could make 15-of-20.' I said, 'Then Al would probably change his mind.' The game had been over for a while and the lights were dimmed. It wasn't dark, but it wasn't easy to see the rim, either. George wanted a ball and someone threw him one. He went behind the 3-point line and starting shooting. He took shot after shot and swish after swish. Then he said 'That's 18 out of 20.' I said, 'Hey George, let's go make sure that the ink is dry on your contract.' -Johnny Kerr