scholarly journals Shaq is Not Alone: Free-Throws in the Final Moments of a Basketball Game

2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 135-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel-Ángel Gómez ◽  
Simcha Avugos ◽  
Miguel-Ángel Oñoro ◽  
Alberto Lorenzo ◽  
Michael Bar-Eli
Keyword(s):  
Athletic Performance ◽  
Predictor Variables ◽  
Lower Probability ◽  
Significant Variable ◽  
Distinctive Pattern ◽  
Professional Basketball ◽  
Free Throw ◽  
Crisis Theory ◽  
Basketball Game ◽  
Stage Game

Abstract It has been previously observed that basketball free-throw (FT) shooting efficiency decreases towards the end of the game. The aim of the current study was to explore possible determinants for this distinctive pattern during close games (point differential of equal or under 2 points during the final minute of the game). A sample of shots attempted by 92 players in the Spanish professional basketball league (ACB) was collected. Several personal (age, experience, playing position and career FT percentage) and contextual (team ability, competition stage, game location, seconds remaining and score differential) variables were considered for the analysis of the data. The effects of the predictor variables on the players’ performance were analyzed according to two game contexts (FT attempted during the final minute or the last pair of FTs) using binomial logistic regression analysis. The results showed that during the final minute the only statistically significant variable was being in the center playing position (OR = 1.58), which decreased the FT shooting percentage compared to forwards and guards. In addition, the results during the last pair of FTs showed that the playing position of guards (OR = 1.70) and centers (OR = 2.22) was significant (a decrease in their FT percentage). Conversely, the score differential when tied (OR = -1.17) or losing (OR = -2.43) was significant, reflecting a lower probability of missing the shot. The results were interpreted and discussed from the viewpoints of crisis theory and the literature on choking in athletic performance.

Missed Shots at the Free-Throw Line

2015 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 539-559 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mattie Toma
Keyword(s):  
High Pressure ◽  
National Collegiate Athletic Association ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
National Basketball Association ◽  
Choking Under Pressure ◽  
Professional Basketball ◽  
Free Throw ◽  
Percentage Points ◽  
Male College ◽  
The Impact

Choking under pressure represents a phenomenon in which individuals faced with a high-pressure situation do not perform as well as would be expected were they performing under normal conditions. In this article, I identify determinants that predict a basketball player’s susceptibility to choking under pressure. Identification of these determinants adds to our understanding of players’ psychology at pivotal points in the game. My analysis draws on play-by-play data from ESPN.com that feature over 2 million free-throw attempts in women’s and men’s college and professional basketball games from the 2002-2013 seasons. Using regression analysis, I explore the impact of both gender and level of professionalism on performance in high-pressure situations. I find that in the final 30 seconds of a tight game, Women’s National Basketball Association and National Basketball Association players are 5.81 and 3.11 percentage points, respectively, less likely to make a free throw, while female and male college players are 2.25 and 2.09 percentage points, respectively, less likely to make a free throw, though statistical significance cannot be established among National Collegiate Athletic Association women. The discrepancy in choking between college and professional players is pronounced when comparing male college players who do and do not make it to the professional level; the free-throw performance of those destined to go pro falls 6 percentage points more in high-pressure situations. Finally, I find that women and men do not differ significantly in their propensity to choke.

The Effects of Playing Multiple High School Sports on National Basketball Association Players’ Propensity for Injury and Athletic Performance

2017 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 402-408 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caitlin Rugg ◽  
Adarsh Kadoor ◽  
Brian T. Feeley ◽  
Nirav K. Pandya
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Athletic Performance ◽  
National Basketball Association ◽  
Participation Rates ◽  
High School Sports ◽  
Professional Basketball ◽  
School Sports ◽  
Career Length ◽  
Major Injury ◽  
Elite Status

Background: Athletes who specialize in their sport at an early age may be at risk for burnout, overuse injury, and reduced attainment of elite status. Timing of sport specialization has not been studied in elite basketball athletes. Hypothesis: National Basketball Association (NBA) players who played multiple sports during adolescence would be less likely to experience injury and would have higher participation rates in terms of games played and career length compared with single-sport athletes. Study Design: Descriptive epidemiology study. Methods: First-round draft picks from 2008 to 2015 in the NBA were included in the study. From publically available records from the internet, the following data were collected for each athlete: participation in high school sports, major injuries sustained in the NBA, percentage of games played in the NBA, and whether the athlete was still active in the NBA. Athletes who participated in sports in addition to basketball during high school were defined as multisport athletes and were compared with athletes who participated only in basketball in high school. Results: Two hundred thirty-seven athletes were included in the study, of which 36 (15%) were multisport athletes and 201 (85%) were single-sport athletes in high school. The multisport cohort played in a statistically significantly greater percentage of total games (78.4% vs 72.8%; P < .001). Participants in the multisport cohort were less likely to sustain a major injury during their career (25% vs 43%, P = .03). Finally, a greater percentage of the multisport athletes were active in the league at time of data acquisition, indicating increased longevity in the NBA (94% vs 81.1%; P = .03). Conclusion: While a minority of professional basketball athletes participated in multiple sports in high school, those who were multisport athletes participated in more games, experienced fewer major injuries, and had longer careers than those who participated in a single sport. Further research is needed to determine the reasons behind these differences.

scholarly journals More Sleep Is a Slam Dunk

2019 ◽  
pp. 147-160
Author(s):  
Ralph Downey III ◽  
Madeleine Grigg-Damberger ◽  
Charles Bae
Keyword(s):  
Athletic Performance ◽  
Sleep Loss ◽  
Substantial Improvement ◽  
Basketball Player ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Improve Performance ◽  
Free Throw ◽  
Team Success ◽  
Sleep Extension ◽  
Elite Sports

Sleep loss may impair athletic performance. Sleep extension may improve performance in sleep-deprived athletes. In elite sports, where the slightest edge can make a difference in individual and team success, ways to improve performance are of great interest to athletes and teams. In the presented case, a male basketball player sought to improve his free throw shooting accuracy. With a disciplined approach to sleeping longer periods of time each night over a 12-week period, there was a substantial improvement in free throw percentage, sleepiness, and self-reported confidence in making free throws. This result is consistent with an extensive literature showing that improving sleep can improve athletic performance.

scholarly journals Utilizing the National Basketball Association’s COVID-19 restart “bubble” to uncover the impact of travel and circadian disruption on athletic performance

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew W. McHill ◽  
Evan D. Chinoy
Keyword(s):  
Athletic Performance ◽  
Natural Experiment ◽  
Circadian Disruption ◽  
Multiple Time ◽  
General Effect ◽  
Professional Basketball ◽  
Home Team ◽  
Winning Percentage ◽  
Time Zones ◽  
The Impact

AbstractOn March 11th, 2020, the National Basketball Association (NBA) paused its season after ~ 64 games due to the Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, only to resume ~ 5 months later with the top 22 teams isolated together (known as the “bubble”) in Orlando, Florida to play eight games each as an end to the regular season. This restart, with no new travel by teams, provided a natural experiment whereby the impact of travel and home-court advantage could be systematically examined. We show here that in the pre-COVID-19 regular season, traveling across time zones reduces winning percentage, team shooting accuracy, and turnover percentage, whereas traveling in general reduces offensive rebounding and increases the number of points the opposing (home) team scores. Moreover, we demonstrate that competition in a scenario where no teams travel (restart bubble) reduces the typical effects of travel and home-court advantage on winning percentage, shooting accuracy, and rebounding. Thus, home-court advantage in professional basketball appears to be linked with the away team’s impaired shooting accuracy (i.e., movement precision) and rebounding, which may be separately influenced by either circadian disruption or the general effect of travel, as these differences manifest differently when teams travel within or across multiple time zones.

scholarly journals The Effects of Rule Changes on Basketball Game Results in the Men’s European Basketball Championships

2014 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Beata Pluta ◽  
Marcin Andrzejewski ◽  
Jarosław Lira
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Analysis ◽  
Univariate Analysis ◽  
Chronological Order ◽  
Game Play ◽  
Game Dynamics ◽  
Professional Basketball ◽  
Situational Variables ◽  
Basketball Game ◽  
Rule Changes

AbstractPurpose. The aim the study was to analyze the effects of rule changes in men’s professional basketball. Univariate analysis examined game statistics, concentrating only on points scores from selected basketball games and did not include situational variables that may have affected game dynamics. Methods. Data on the results of all games played in the men’s European Basketball Championships between 1935 and 2013 were collected and subjected to statistical analysis. Six main rule modifications which directly affected game play were identified in chronological order. Results. The number of points scored and allowed changed significantly after 1956. The greatest changes in game scores as a result of rule modifications were after rule changes in 1956 and after 1984. Conclusions. Rule changes involve processes that modify game conditions and should be validated following reflective analysis.

Effects of a Target RIM on Basketball Shooting Accuracy

1987 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 863-866
Author(s):  
Larry A. Sage
Keyword(s):  
The Other ◽  
Basketball Players ◽  
Men's Basketball ◽  
Free Throw ◽  
Basketball Game ◽  
Eastern Washington ◽  
Washington University ◽  
Selection Of ◽  
Better Than ◽  
Basketball Shooting

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a basketball target rim on free-throw and field-goal shooting accuracy. The target rims employed in this study were different from regular rims as the apparatus that connects the target rim to the backboard was painted a neutral color. Subjects included all of the 1984–85 Eastern Washington University men's basketball players and the other players on 10 basketball teams who played games with the Eastern Washington University men's basketball team in the 1984–85 season. Practice statistics were kept in all EWU shooting situations, drills as well as scrimmages. Individual game statistics of the entire basketball game were made for the 10 games in which the target rims were used. A random selection of combined free-throw and field-goal shooting accuracy taken during the practice sessions showed that shooting percentage on the target rim was noticeably higher than the shooting percentage on the regular rim. The shooting accuracy of the EWU team and the visiting teams during game competition showed that accuracy of field-goal shooting on the target rim was significantly better than on the regular rim but not for free-throw accuracy. The target rim may improve shooting accuracy and influence total scoring in basketball.

A questionnaire survey of ego-orientation and collective orientation of basketball players

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Milena Aleksieva ◽  
◽  
Danail Kirov ◽  
◽  
Keyword(s):  
Questionnaire Survey ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Main Task ◽  
Basketball Players ◽  
Professional Basketball ◽  
Collective Orientation ◽  
Basketball Game ◽  
Ego Orientation ◽  
The Subject

The training and competition activity determines the requirements for the mental adaptation in the specific type of sport related to the person’s ability for dynamic self-regulation. The purpose of this survey is to explore and compare the ego-orientation and the collective orientation of basketball players and its main task is to outline the differences in orientation among participants in 3 x 3 Basketball tournaments and professional basketball players. The object of the study is the basketball game. The subject of the study is the signs characterizing ego-orientation and collective orientation in basketball players. Contingent of the study are 45 participants in 3 x 3 Basketball tournaments and 46 competitors from professional basketball clubs from Yambol BC – Yambol, Shoumen – Shoumen and Beroe – St. Zagora, BC Lokomotiv – St. Zagora Based on this study are defined the profiles of the basketball players 3x3 and the professional players 5x5, as well as defining their characteristics.

No Fans, No Problem: An Investigation of Audience Effects on Shooting Performance in Professional Basketball

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Logan T. Markwell ◽  
Andrew J. Strick ◽  
Jared M. Porter
Keyword(s):  
National Basketball Association ◽  
Archival Data ◽  
Environmental Characteristics ◽  
Professional Basketball ◽  
Free Throw ◽  
Audience Effects ◽  
Unique Method

Sports, along with nearly all facets of life, have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The National Basketball Association quickly adopted a unique method to finish the 2019–2020 regular season and playoffs. The entire league quarantined for months in what was known as the “NBA bubble” where games were played in spectator-less arenas. During this time, increases in shooting accuracy were reported, suggesting that free throws and field goals were made at record-breaking levels. This study examined differences in free throw shooting accuracy with and without spectators. Archival data were retrieved and analyzed to evaluate the potential differences. Free throw shooting accuracy with and without spectators were examined in multiple analyses. Our examination revealed free throw percentages were significantly greater in spectator-less arenas compared with the 2018 and 2019 seasons with spectators. Changes of the environmental characteristics, due to spectator-less arenas, were likely contributors to the improved free throw phenomenon reported in this study.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document