BlacJacMac wrote:KGdaBom wrote:Domejandro wrote:There is a whole quarter left of play and Minnesota is up by less than twenty. I don't think it is that hard to be serious, rather than throwing up a gimmicky shot for style-points. Just seems like a weird choice, the game was far from out of reach. The San Antonio Spurs got it down to six, late in the fourth quarter.
What was gimmicky about the shot?
Due to my crappy internet I had a hard time seeing anything gimmicky. Bank shots are scientifically proven to have a better chance of being made than straight on shots. So definitely no gimmick there.
You haven't actually seen the study have you? Because you keep saying this without any of the qualifications or details.
The "better chance of being made" is from the wings - and no more than 12' from the basket. So you can immediately eliminate the idea that Ant's 3 point bank attempt was the right shot.After simulating one million shots with a computer, the NC State researchers show that the bank shot can be 20 percent more effective when shooting at many angles up to a distance of about 12 feet from the basket. Bank shots are also more effective from the "wing" areas between the three-point line and the free-throw lane. However, straight-on shots – those corresponding to the area around the free-throw line – from further than 12 feet are not as well suited for bank shots.
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/559469
Thanks for sharing. You are correct. I haven't seen the new study. I'm going off what I learned in the 1970s. That said your new study only stated that further out and more straight on the bank shot became less of an advantage. It did not say on a quick glance that the advantage was completely negated. 20% more efficient is massive on the 12 foot or less shots from the wings. Ant's shot was from the wing, but much more than 12 feet. It still may have had a larger margin of error meaning a greater area to hit with the shot going in.
Bank shots are not gimmicks and I'm glad that Ant utilizes them possibly more than any other NBA player. The more he does this the better he will get at them and it will lead to a higher FG%.