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SPORTS Wednesday 3 May 2017
A three-ring circus: In the NBA,

3-pointers hotter than ever

TIM REYNOLDS sharpshooter Kyle Korver into Tuesday with three al-
AP Basketball Writer earlier this season, James ready in these playoffs.
Let’s be clear: in the NBA, — who was part of the last “Their 3-point shooting is
the 2-pointer is not obso- playoff game in which the a problem,” Washington
lete. winning team made no coach Scott Brooks said.
Yet. 3-pointers, during Miami’s “They’re one of the best
Houston’s recordsetting 2012 title run — gave him 3-point shooting teams in
barrage of 3-pointers in this advice: “Shoot the ball the league ... we have to
its win over San Antonio every time you get it. Shoot make sure we are ready to
in Game 1 of their West- the ball. As soon as it touch guard the 3-point line.”
ern Conference semifinal your hands, shoot it. We Or else.
series provided the latest don’t care.” Of the 50 highest single-
reminder of how the long Clearly, that’s the think- season 3-point attempt
ball’s value is continuing ing just about everywhere totals by teams in NBA his-
to skyrocket. There were these days. tory, 19 are from this sea-
more 3-pointers made this “The league is changing,” son. And when D’Antoni
season than ever before, Raptors coach Dwane was asked Monday if there
the fifth straight year that Casey said. “Believe me, can be such a thing as too
the NBA saw that record you’ve got to change many 3s, his answer came Cleveland Cavaliers’ Kyrie Irving (2) shoots over Toronto Rap-
get toppled. or get stuck in the mud. quickly. tors’ Kyle Lowry (7) in the first half in Game 1 of a second-round
Now meet a new trend: ... I think the days of the “We haven’t got there NBA basketball playoff series, Monday, May 1, 2017, in Cleve-
More 3s being taken than 24-point quarters, the yet,” D’Antoni said.q land.
2s in a game. And that one 25-point quarters are kind Associated Press
isn’t exactly as rare as a of sliding away.”
unicorn sighting anymore. In the first 37 seasons of the
“We just take what they NBA having a 3-point shot,
give us,” Rockets coach there were 31 instances of
Mike D’Antoni insisted. teams taking more from
It’s not that simple. behind that arc in a game
Houston took an NBA play- than from 2-point range.
off record 50 3-point at- The oddity isn’t so odd
tempts on Monday, com- anymore. It’s happened 33
pared with 37 tries from times already this season,
2-point range. Before this and counting.
season, no NBA team ever “We won’t hesitate on
had that sort of discrep- shooting them,” said
ancy — at least 13 more 3s D’Antoni, whose Rockets
than 2s — in a game, regu- smashed the NBA records
lar-season or playoffs. with 1,181 made 3s and
That was then. 3,306 attempts during the
It’s happened 10 times this regular season. “We won’t
season, the Rockets post- miss five in a row and go,
ing nine of those. Houston ‘You know what, we’re go-
is 7-2 in such games; Boston ing to turn one down to
did it once in a win as well. drive it.’ No. If they’re open,
“This is the game now,” they shoot it. If they’re not,
Cleveland’s LeBron James we drive it.”
said. “It’s been this way for Sure enough. On Mon-
a while.” day, the Rockets scored
The four teams with the 126 points, zero coming on
most 3-pointers in the NBA field goals from the space
this season — Houston, between the lane and the
Cleveland, Boston and 3-point line. They made 40
Golden State — are all baskets — 22 were 3-point-
still in these playoffs. And ers, 13 were dunks or la-
there were more 3s made yups, four were shots in-
in the first round than ever side the lane from 6 feet or
before, 846. Back in 2012, closer, and the other was
in the exact same num- a 14-footer from just inside
ber of first-round games as the foul line.
what was played this year, It’s not just Houston that’s
teams made a combined 3-happy. It’s everyone.
496 3s. Boston, in its storied histo-
That’s a 71 percent in- ry, had one playoff game
crease, in just five years. where they made 16 or
There’s no end in sight, ei- more 3s before this season
ther. When the Cavs got — and the Celtics went