Falling in love with threes

There’s an old saying that someone too immersed in details loses sight of the big picture, that he can’t see the forest for the trees. It’s the same thing with a basketball team that’s focused on shooting threes. A team can become so engrossed in knocking down threes that it forgets there are more practical ways to score. Falling in love with the three is easy. A three is the least defended kind of shot because it’s low percentage. Defending teams would rather give up a three than a high percentage layup. So the temptation to settle is enticing particularly when an offensive team is confronted by a zone.

Joyce Kilmer once wrote that she’ll never see a poem as lovely as a tree. In basketball, a three is a beautiful thing. Songwriter Chad Sugg said, “Love the trees until their leaves fall off then encourage them to try again next year.” In the NBA, the Houston Rockets seem to be singing Sugg’s tune, mistaking the trees for threes. Coach Mike D’Antoni’s rocket launchers are firing up threes like there’s no tomorrow until the shots fall off and by then, it’s too late to save the forest.

Take Game 2 of the Western Conference second round playoff series between the Rockets and the LA Lakers at the Florida bubble yesterday morning (Manila time). Houston threw up 53 threes compared to 25 twos or nearly 70 percent of its field goal attempts. The Lakers used a 3-2 zone to shut the door on penetrations and encourage the Rockets to shoot the three. San Antonio employed the same 3-2 formation when the Spurs beat the New Jersey Nets, 4-2, in the 2003 Finals. Russell Westbrook, the Rockets’ deadliest slasher, was the biggest fish that the Lakers hooked with the bait as he went 1-of-7 from distance and finished with only 10 points. Of 53 triple attempts, the Rockets buried 22. The Lakers were 12-of-27 from deep but shot 47-of-83 overall for a 56.6 percent clip to win, 117-109. Houston connected 44.9 percent from the floor.

In the other NBA playoff game yesterday, it was the same theme. Miami failed to take advantage of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s absence starting the second quarter and lost to Milwaukee, 118-115, in overtime in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference second round series. Like the Rockets, Miami tried to bury Milwaukee with a barrage of threes but it didn’t work. The Heat went 17-of-47 from beyond the arc while the Bucks hit 11-of-35 but Milwaukee shot 45-of-92 overall (48.9 percent) to Miami’s 40-of-90 (44.4 percent). So in both games, the teams that took and shot more threes lost.

Miami could’ve closed out the series via a 4-0 sweep but the Bucks proved resilient. The Heat sat on an eight-point lead, 100-92, with 8:42 left and was on top, 107-106, time down to 1.9 ticks in regulation. Milwaukee’s Donte DiVincenzo hit 1-of-2 foul shots to send it into OT. Goran Dragic missed a three with 0.6 of a second to go and if he made it, Miami would’ve swept. In extension, Miami’s Tyler Herro scored a three to cut the gap to one, 116-115, with three seconds left and Khris Middleton ended the scoring with two free throws. Miami was the last team standing without a loss in the playoffs until Milwaukee took away the broom.