Time to slam-dump those three-point contests
The NBA held a three-point contest on Saturday. Oh, be still my beating heart.
The novelty of the three-point shot wore off a long time ago. Say, in the 1980s.
The shot became popular when the old American Basketball Association introduced it in 1968 as a marketing gimmick to compete against the NBA.
But then the NBA picked it up, and then the International Basketball Federation (Fiba) picked it up, and now it just won't go away.
It is simply a bad, illogical idea. look at it this way. The Fiba three-point line is at 6.75 metres. With this logic there should be a four-point line another metre out. Maybe a five-pointer from half court. No, wait, how about a six-pointer from the opposite free-throw line!
Too many youngsters spend all their time mastering the dunk and the three-pointer. Gone is the simple beauty of the mid-range jumper.
The NBA held its annual three-point contest on Saturday night as part of the All Star weekend. It was first added to the weekend back in 1986, and the Boston Celtics' Larry Bird won the first three contests.
Now, Bird would just as soon see it disappear.
"I'm not a big three-point guy," said Bird, the president of the Indiana Pacers. "I think that there are too many bad shots.
"A lot of guys can't shoot it, but they always want to attempt it [in a game]. … I never did really like the three-point shot when I played."
The three's time has come, and should be gone.
sports@thenational.ae
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