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Lin should stop shooting rainbows, a Harvard grad should know better

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by Tuk88, Apr 7, 2014.

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  1. Tuk88

    Tuk88 Contributing Member

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    It's one of the dumbest things I hear, that because the rim fits two basketballs in it, that the more arc the ball is shot with, the more chances it has going in.

    That's like saying it's easier to shoot a pancake with a gun by aiming straight up instead of right at it, since the bullet will have more area to hit.

    SOME arc is beneficial, as they say Chandler's shot needs. But Harden's arc is perfect, and if you look at the top shooters, they're not shooting rainbows.

    However, when IS shooting rainbow threes effective? When you're shooting them in practice after making a few, but only after making a few, because once you find that groove, knowing just the feeling when you're shooting the balls high up in the air, yes, that ball has a greater area to fall in.

    However, that situation NEVER presents itself in a game. Maybe just a tiny bit on the second free throw, and only if you make the first one.

    Put it another way, using physics, which a Harvard grad should know (and no, I'm not one, I just know basic physics), if you shoot the ball with a flatter trajectory and you shoot 4 inches off center (basketball is 9 inches in diameter, the hoop is 18 inches, which leaves 4.5 inches on each side of a perfect shot), that ball will barely make it in. BUT, add any amount of arc to that same shot, and it will hit the rim because the ball takes twice as long to get there.

    It's the same logic as when a player shoots a ball with enough arc to rise above the backboard when they're right at the basket (usually only to avoid an unexpected blocker at the last minute), you rarely expect that to go in, it's considered a wild shot. Well, that's pretty much what a rainbow three looks like, relatively speaking, and the results are pretty similar.

    The mindset of shooting with a flatter arc is also more deterministic, versus shooting with a lot of arc, like throwing a fastball versus lobbing a softball. You throw a fastball with confidence and determination, and you lob a softball with finesse. That makes it difficult to shoot aggressively, especially after making an aggressive mood, if you then have to immediately change to finesse. Just because a couple of players had success shooting rainbows, like World B Free, doesn't mean being the exception to the rule should be the rule.

    Also, if you're a player that thinks too much (like Lin, always evaluating himself, like probably most Harvard grads, not that it's always a bad thing, but in basketball it is), it's better to just reduce the number of variables and aim for the dang rim.
     
  2. wfeebs

    wfeebs Member

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    So. Many. Lin. Threads
     
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