Basketball players were so obsessed with prioritizing an insignificant statistic over helping their team win that the NBA had to change a rule.
Really.
At the end of quarters, NBA players were dribbling out the clock rather than launching a three-quarter or half-court heaves in an attempt to make a buzzer-beating 3-pointer.
They didn’t want to damage their shooting percentage.
Really.
So the NBA changed the rule. Beginning this year, any shot from outside 36 feet in the final three seconds of a quarter will count as a team shot attempt instead of an individual one.
In the history of sports, that might be the dumbest reason to necessitate a rule change.
It would still be pathetic, but more understandable if what they were doing was helping them win the scoring title or make an All-Star team or reach a tangible achievement.
But passing up a shot that could help the team, to protect their own shooting percentage, is reprehensible. Imagine if a quarterback declined to throw the Hail Mary before halftime because he was afraid it might get picked.
So what if the shot is going to miss most of the time? When it goes in, a team not only gets three points but a huge surge of energy, a point Celtics guard Payton Pritchard made last year to CLNS Media.
“Some guys don‘t take it because it might hurt their percentages,” he said. “I don‘t worry about the percentage of it because it can change the momentum of the game.”
Most fans have no idea who led the NBA or even their own team in shooting percentage in any year because nobody cares. In 2024-25, it was Jarrett Allen, who got exactly zero votes for Most Valuable Player or All-NBA, because it is not an important stat.
Media, fans and coaches are all complicit. Players should have been called out publicly and booed for being selfish. Old school coaches would have lit into their players for doing that, but in today’s NBA, embarrassing a player, even one who deserves it, is a professional death wish.
So they looked the other way and it became so accepted and commonplace that the NBA had to give in and create the Selfish Stat Preservation Act.
They shouldn’t have caved.
In fact, the new rule should have worked in reverse. Any player who has the ball in the final three seconds and doesn’t shoot is assessed a missed shot, even if one wasn’t attempted. Call it the literal “Wayne Gretzky Rule — You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.”
Either way, Payton Pritchard deserves a raise.
Outtakes from a busy week…A photo and two quotesThe photo:
Former Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, right, greets former New England coach Bill Belichick at the Patriots Hall of Fame induction on June 12, 2024. According to reports, Belichick did not sneak in, wear a disguise or overwhelm security. He was invited to the event and “welcomed” in. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)APQuote No. 1:
“It’s clear that I’m not welcome there, around their facilities. And they aren’t welcome at ours. Pretty simple.” — Bill Belichick on why he banned Patriots scouts from Carolina football practice.
Quote No. 2:
“When that great 20-year era ended, it was always my intention to commission a statue for both Tommy (Brady) and Bill when their respective careers were over, playing and coaching. When Bill’s coaching career ends, we look forward to sitting down with him and having a statue made to be right next to Tommy,” — Robert Kraft said.
Sports clues from actual editions of America’s favorite quiz show. As always, mind the date
CATEGORY: The Devils You Say – $200
Date: June 4, 2025
The college’s color scheme & the nickname of certain French soldiers in WWI gave rise to this college sports team nickname
— Answer below
The Top 5The Top 5 Forgotten Red Sox Pitchers whose early starts had people excited
5 – Eric Hetzel
4 – Paxton Crawford
3 – Kevin Morton
2 — Juan Pena
1 — Vaughn Eschelman
Today in Boston Sports History
Sept. 12
1979 — Carl Yastrzemski records his 3,000th hit off of Yankee pitcher Jim Beattie.
2011 — Tom Brady passes for a team-record 517 yards and four touchdowns, including a 99-yarder to Wes Welker, and the New England Patriots beat the Miami Dolphins 38-24.
2015 — David Ortiz homers twice to become the 27th player in major league history to reach 500 homers, and Boston beats Tampa Bay 10-4.
Lightning roundThis is unfair, but Christian Gonzalez reminds me of J.D. Drew.Red Sox vs. Yankees and Patriots vs. Dolphins. This could be a really fun weekend for Boston fans or a miserable one.The Dolphins had a players-only meeting a week into the season. That has to be a record.If you’re tempted to spend money on the Mike Tyson vs. Floyd Mayweather fight, this is a reminder that there are still diseases that haven’t been cured. There are better places to spend your money on a fight between two reprehensible human beings.The second-best thing to happen to a kid at a game is to catch a home run ball. The best thing is for an obnoxious adult fan to grab the ball that seemed destined for you while the whole thing is being aired on the TV broadcast. A ball is nice. But the treasure trove of gifts given to a kid who loses out on the ball is amazing.Real Jeopardy! Question:
Who is Duke?
Finally…
Happy National Day of Encouragement and National Chocolate Milkshake Day to those who celebrate. And if you know someone who needs some encouragement, maybe get them a chocolate milkshake.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.