Shaq's Free-Throw Shooting Looked Different to Nite

[Mr. Sun]

Did anyone notice a difference in Shaq's free throwing tonight? Looked like he was getting his knee's involved in his release.

[-SDU-]

i thought his style looked different too, wonder if they gave him some tips

but at the same time, surely noone thinks they can change him by this point of his career?

[Mr. Sun]

I was right! Here is what Coro posted:

O'Neal has been practicing free throws at US Airways Center at night and is going back to his high school motion that he said was good for a 70-plus percent conversion rate.

[-SDU-]

well he was good tonight, but 1-8 last time

nice observation man, i noticed it myself as i tend to really study the games in an almost obsessive way sometimes, but its nice to see im not the only one who picks up little things like that

[~OhMyBosh~]

I was right! Here is what Coro posted:

O'Neal has been practicing free throws at US Airways Center at night and is going back to his high school motion that he said was good for a 70-plus percent conversion rate.

I'm glad he's working on it but how does it take you this long to try this? If he shot 70% then why did he change in the first place? It's not like the new way he started doing it ever worked. Just wondering.

[BurningHeart]

I hope this is legit, because the way he threw it up before basically looked like each one was a guess.

"Oh, maybe this will go in, let's try it this way!"

"Eh, that didn't work, let's try something else!"

It was like throwing ideas to a wall and seeing what sticks.

Work on your FT shooting, fatty!

[mkot]

Come now, dude is 36 years old, I have no hope for him improving his FT percentage. Been there, done that, with the Lakers, with the Heat, and he still sucks at the line. Nothing will change.

[garrick]

I saw his form against the Celtics and that wasn't very good at all.
Still it would be better for him to go back to the traditional form as he's really regressed in his ft percentage.
I think the problem is he's not getting his legs into the shot, if he's just throwing it up there without bending his legs then it's no wonder he's hitting them at such a bad rate.

[jaypo]

I've watched him his whole life. As anyone that has played ball knows, a shot comes from the legs up. Bending your knees is crucial. Throughout his career, he has bent his knees, straightened up, paused, and then shot. Now, he seems to be doing it in one fluid motion. If he keeps that up, he'll be okay, but I don't think he will ever shoot over 60% again.

[b-ball forever]

He's def gotta keep on bending his knees while he prepares his shot.


Reminds me of something that happened back in the 2000 NBA finals series between Shaq/Kobe's LA Lakers, and Reggie Miller/J.Rose's Indy Pacers.

Shaq was destroying Indy's frontcourt on his way to his first NBA ring.

In 1 of the games Larry Bird decided to go Hack a Shaq, and told his men to give Big Daddy hell by sendin him to the foul line like crazy (specially in crunch time).

Shaq made nearly every single 1 of his free throws that game, to everybody's surprise.
I remember all of us watchin the game were like "Wow, WTF??? Shaq knockin down FTs now???"

After the game they asked Shaq how come he was able to knock em down.
Shaq told em that it was cuz he had his kid daugther on the phone just before the game, and she told him "Dad, don't forget to bend ur knees when u shoot", he did it and it worked.

Sth along those lines, was a pretty long time ago so I don't remember the exact story.

He'll never be at 60% or anything, but if he works on his movement he shud be able to at least get at like 55ish%...

[shaqfan32]

a day or 2 before Shaq's first Suns game there was an article in the AZRepublic about how the Suns staff had him shooting FT's with a heavy ball.
Shaq doesn't so much shoot the ball from the FT line as much as he throws it -- flat, no arc. this is one of the reasons he misses so many FT's
the reason they have you work with the heavy ball on FT's is that you've got to push the ball up higher to get it there - ie. more arc & less a flat throw. plus it make you turn over your wrist.
both of these should help Shaq's FT % long term

[ma_falaa_50]

Come now, dude is 36 years old, I have no hope for him improving his FT percentage. Been there, done that, with the Lakers, with the Heat, and he still sucks at the line. Nothing will change.

Well he is trying to improve. He wont shoot 80 percent but if he can do somehwere near the high ffities and 60 that would be icing on the cake.

[enigmatics]

Didn't get to see the game tonight, but I'm glad to hear this kind of thing..........For the past 3 games I've been screaming at Shaq thru the television screen to bend his knees.

[Sun Scorched]

Hell, they worked with Amare and now he rarely misses from the line.

I'll give them the benfit of the doubt.

[jlove_26]

Majerle was talking about it during the game last night. Phil Weber has Shaq starting at about 5 ft out and shooting them after a couple of makes, moving back a foot or 2 then another couple makes then moving back, until he makes it to the free throw line. He's taking Shaq back to the basics to get a feel of how far to "throw" it to make it in. It seems to be working, at least it did last night. We'll find out more about how Shaq is progressing tonight against the Hornets.

[187_Inc]

They probably look different because shots are actually going IN

But I agree, I noticed his form looked better when he made two FT's in a row.