10 Things In Sports It Would Be Cool To See—#4
(Sometimes the rules and strategy involved in a game can prevent us from seeing an athlete’s true skills in action. For example, the presence of teammates can prevent repeated one-on-one confrontations, and the flow of a game can prevent an athlete from repeatedly attempting a difficult challenge. My question is, if there were no rules, no games, no standings, no teammates, and no trophies to worry about, what kind of things would an athlete be able to do. In no particular order, here are 10 things in sports I’d like to see.)
#4–A real NBA shooting contest
Nearly 15 years ago I settled into my set at the U.S. Air Arena to watch the Washington Bullets take on the Phoenix Suns. Unfortunately, a problem with the ice below the court created a wet floor, and after a lengthy delay the game was canceled. While the fans in the arena didn’t get a chance to see an NBA game, thanks to Dan Majerle they still got to see a show. During the delay Majerle came out on the floor and put on a shooting display for the ages. The Suns guard went around the floor draining jumpers from every spot between the three point line and half court.
Majerle was one of the best shooters of his generation, but even today there are numerous shooters with range they don’t get to show of in games or in the three point shooting contest. That’s why I want to see a real NBA shooting contest that will show off all the shooting skills of NBA players.
The contest would function like the normal three point shooting contest, except there would be four sets of ball racks. The first set would be two feet behind the three point line, followed by a set halfway between the three point line and half court, a set at half court, and a set at the opposite foul line. Balls from racks that are further from the basket would be worth more points. The contest will need some contestants, and so I’m inviting Gilbert Arenas, Dirk Nowitzki, Kobe Bryant, Ray Allen, Leandro Barbosa, Steve Nash, and Rasheed Wallace to the inaugural competition.
During NBA games the league’s best shooters rarely get a chance to show off their most impressive shooting skills. Sometimes the continuous flow of missed open 15 footers can even make it hard to remember that NBA players are unbelievable shooters. This contest should finally show just how unbelievable they are.
Also see…
#10—Albert Pujols vs John Parrish…100 times
#9—1 on 1 NBA draft workouts
#8—LaDainian Tomlinson vs. Brian Urlacher
#7—Tiger Woods shooting for a hole in one
#6—A real test for Vladimir Guerrero’s arm
#5—NFL-style workouts by non-NFL athletes
#3—A college basketball game with no three point line
#2—A 3 on 3 hockey game
#1—Albert Pujols vs. Johan Santana…100 times
2 Comments »
on 24 Jul 2007 at 2:19 am #
Majerle still puts on clinics at Suns games today. I saw a game in March and he was sitting around before the game practicing circus shots.
He’d sit in a director’s chair with his back to the basket, about 35-40 feet away. A quick look over his shoulder and he’d launch a three. And he made more than a few. There are a few videos somewhere out there on Youtube of these exploits. Here’s one: http://youtube.com/watch?v=AFTtLFx5YPA
on 24 Jul 2007 at 5:07 pm #
It’s good to know he’s still got it. I’ll never forget that game I was at—the game got canceled, but it was still worth going because of Majerle.