March 19, 2004
BASKETBALL: Charity Stripe Trivia
A pair of trivia questions for all you NBA-heads:
1. Only three players in NBA/ABA history have attempted 500 three-pointers and 500 free throws in the same season - and a fourth will join the club with his next free throw attempt. Name 'em.
2. A player has shot 90% or better at the line in 400 or more free throw attempts in one season 17 times in NBA history; the feat has been accomplished by ten different players. Name 'em. Give yourself credit if you get nine; you won't get the hardest one unless you're a real early-fifties history buff. There's also an eleventh who should be added to this list before season's end.
Answers below:
Answer to #1:
What's amazing is that Adams did it in just 66 games . . . a tribute to Paul Westhead's bizarre experiment running his Loyola-Marymount offense in the NBA, since Adams shot just .296 from downtown. This also helps explain how Paul Pierce is generally a good percentage offensive player despite a career shooting percentage below 44% (although he's stretching it this season). McGrady's numbers updated through last night's action.
2.
#11 should be Predrag Stojakovic, who's 348 for 377 (a .923 clip) thus far this season.
Stojakovic has an outside chance (slim, but it's still there) to make the 500 FTA/3FGA club this season.
For his sake, I hope he doesn't get the refs from the Kings/Lakers series from a few years back...