Hollinger Reads Portland Game Recap -- Answer Shaq-Shooting Question

by JSun on Dec 19, 2008 1:27 PM MST

The day after I posted the poll question of whether Shaq's free throws or his dunks have done more damage to the rims, Hollinger puts on quite a statistical analysis of Shaq's inability to make a free toss.

It's an interesting read, so go take a look at it. Apparently, Shaq is just a few misses away from 5,000 misses. There's a good chance that the cowardly Pop and his hack-a-Shaq Sp*rs put Shaq over the top. Perhaps my favorite tidbit (and the conclusion to the article):

Shaq's teammate Nash has missed 253 free throws in his 883 NBA games. At that rate, it would take him 17,451 games to miss 5,000. If he played every regular-season game for 200 seasons, he'd still fall short.

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to me...it's not a big deal

that shaq isn’t a good or even fair free throw shooter, he brings so much to our team that it simply doesn’t matter…now…at the end of a game…or as a strategy against us…it can hurt us…but…we’re such a different team than the team that lost to the spurs, that I’m not worried about it.

With Barnes and Richardson & Hill, this team has become something really good, with potential to be great, plus they’re fun…. a different sort of fun than the 7sol, but I like it.

by be-the-ball on Dec 21, 2008 12:24 AM MST reply actions

Shaq's fingers

Shaq has certainly been shooting better of late and that’s all I care about.

Have you noticed that when he holds the ball on his finger tips and shoots that way his shot is softer and is going in more? Last night I saw him with the ball back in his hand it the result wasn’t as good.

Blogging Suns Basketball

by Seth Pollack on Dec 21, 2008 9:33 AM MST reply actions

i dont agree wit hollinger

i read the article about a week ago so i may type some misinformation, but basically hollinger said shaq would average something like 4 points more if he made a decent amount of free throws. i dont think he considered two things: 1. if shaq got the offensive rebound (very rare), but more importantly, 2. if he was fouled on purpose. sure, more made shots = more wins, but more points for shaq? i mean, would he be fouled as much if people knew he would deliver? how many points has the hack-a-shaq strategy given him?

by ryansunsfan on Dec 22, 2008 8:52 AM MST reply actions

i actually agree there.

he could average another 4 points per game if he could at least hit his free throws.

maybe not for the whole season, but…history is history, and he is definitely a part of (the creator of?) the 50% free throws club.

people would continue employing the hack-a-shaq strategy until he could prove, for a semi-extended period of time, that i can actually hit them. which he won’t. so they’ll keep doing it. but…if he could somehow harness his inner steve nash (he’s always rattling on and on about supernatural powers and the like, albeit that he’s talking about himself…), i think he could very easily post another 4 PPG.

by Trevor Paxton on Dec 24, 2008 5:47 PM MST up reply actions

The Hack-a-Shaq has given him points, BUT

If he could make his free throws, people would be reluctant to foul him as much, which would result in a lot more made shots for him, and he would convert more of those FTs into points when he IS fouled, so that will still result in vastly improved PPG for him.

by felixthm on Dec 24, 2008 8:03 PM MST up reply actions