Tag: league

The NBA is discussing a number of …

The NBA is discussing a number of possibilities — including eliminating fans from buildings for games or, more drastically, suspending game operations for a period of time — but sources said decisions on those options remain complicated by the fact that there has been a limited amount of public testing for the coronavirus in the United States. There is no full understanding of how widespread and debilitating the virus could become in the country.

After the board of governors call …

After the board of governors call Wednesday — which is expected to include one designated ownership representative of each team, sources said — two additional calls are set for Thursday for team presidents and general managers, sources said. So far, individual NBA teams have been hesitant to become the league’s first to voluntarily eliminate fans from home games, sources said. Even with the conference call set for governors and owners on Wednesday, there has been a tremendous amount of communication among teams, the league and public health experts in recent weeks.

The origins of the 3-point line go all …

The origins of the 3-point line go all the way back to 1945. Howard Hobson, the famed Oregon coach who won the first NCAA tournament in 1939, conducted an experiment. He had Fordham play Columbia in an exhibition game, with a twist: He added a 3-point line. So on Feb. 7, 1945, a Fordham player named John Cahill unofficially hit “the world’s first 3-point field goal,” as a reporter wrote. Hobson, described as a “progressive young strategist,” had studied 23 games at Madison Square Garden during the 1944-45 season while stationed nearby with the Army. His observations convinced him that the game needed the 3-point line. Not only would it create excitement, but it would reintroduce the art of the “long shot” and, most important of all, ease the congestion and brutishness the game had taken on.

The most radical coach was Gene Shue of …

The most radical coach was Gene Shue of the San Diego Clippers. Shue’s team shot a league-high 543 3-pointers in 1979. And while many coaches only attempted 3s at the end of quarters or in blowouts — “That philosophy is in the dark ages,” Shue argued — Shue incorporated them in his offense. He understood then what would become an accepted truth: That even if a team hits a lower percentage of 3-pointers, the true field goal percentage is much better. San Diego, however, won only 35 games, and Shue was fired. In the next three years, no NBA team shot more than 407 3s. The league was so dismissive of 3-pointers that in March 1980, the Los Angeles Times wrote that the Lakers “missed a chance to tie Phoenix because they didn’t even try for a three-pointer while trailing by three in the closing seconds.”

Pitino said he wanted his team to take …

Pitino said he wanted his team to take at least 10 3s a game. One of his best shooters, Trent Tucker, told Pitino he had to warm up to shooting 3s. Pitino told him to warm up by taking them. He hated shots in the 18- to 22-foot range. He often raised his hands when one of his players fired a 3, then pumped his fist when it went in. One game, the Knicks went 0 for 7 from 3-point range, which was part of a prolonged drought. Pitino wasn’t fazed. The Knicks made an NBA record 11 3s in their next game. “They’ll know I’ll be upset if they don’t take the 3s,” he said. This was at a time when most of the NBA still ignored the line. Sports Illustrated wrote that “most coaches get queasy even talking about the 3-pointer and consider it a kind of guilty pleasure at best.”

LeBron James becomes first NBA player to record triple-double against all 30 teams (Hoopshype)

LeBron James made NBA history becoming the first player to get a triple-double against all 30 teams in the league.

LeBron James made NBA history becoming the first player to get a triple-double against all 30 teams in the league.