Three Point Allusion to ABC

Once upon a time the NBA was dominated by massive big men like George Mikan, Wilt Chamberlain, Walt Bellamy, Kareem Abdul Jabbar etc.

Get the ball to the big man, let him stuff it through the basket from within five feet.

For some purists, this concept was ruining the game as it minimized the value of precise outside shooting and the value of undersized players. Only in the realm of the NBA would a six foot four person be considered undersized.

To remedy the problem, the NBA instituted the three point shot.

A three point field goal (also 3-pointer, three or trey) is a shot made from beyond the three point line, a designated arc surrounding the basket 23 feet from the rim. A successful shot is worth three points as opposed the two points awarded for field goals within the 3 point line.

The remedy sparked an evolution in the game. Suddenly sharp shooting skills became desirable.

One of the first sharp shooters to emerge from this ruling was Ray Allen. Ray began the trend of pumping shots from that distance which prior to the ruling was considered bad basketball. Why shoot from so far out when you could just pass the ball to the big man and he'd stuff it into the basket.

Ray attempted more three pointers than he did two pointers. He was good at it. Inspired by Allen, the modern NBA team is now loaded with sharpshooters who are capable of making a high percentage of these shots. Hey, if you can get three from 23 feet why shoot anything from 21 or 22?

Big men remain valuable. If they rebound a missed three pointer a missed three pointer, they can stuff that miss into the basket from four feet just like in the old days.

A three point shot that misses the basket or the backboard is known as an "air ball". The fear of "airballs' prevent long shot taking from the less confident of shotmakers, thus diminishing their value.

Ray Allen wasn't afraid of shooting air balls. He was confident in his skills. Once, when asked how many out of a hundred three point attempts he expected to make, Ray said "one hundred." If he didn't think he'd make the shot, he wouldn't take it.

Whether it's a two pointer or a three pointer, one thing is certain...if you don't shoot....you don't score.

Frequently, a sharpshooter will have a cold night and miss more than his share of shots. This doesn't stop him from shooting. Many a game has been won on a last second three pointer made by a sharp shooter who had been cold throughout the entire game (even attempting an air ball or three).

Now I'm going to allude to our beloved ABC tales.

Some of our stories are rewarded with cherries. Some are read by a multitude of readers. Some are reacted to with valuable comments. All of the above might be translated as successful "threes"

Quite often, a story is recieved with minimum reads, no cherry and no comments. These posts may be regarded by some as "airballs" which discourage writers from trying another post.

I am such a writer. I write habitually and with confidence. Every post I make, every shot I take, I expect to score. That's why I posted the thing in the first place.

I'm always surprised when my post becomes an airball.

I'm rarely discouraged.

I know it was a good shot and will connect with some reader somewhere and some time but not with these readers on this day. 

Sometimes, I make a "video" of my favorite shots and paste them together to create a montage. I did so with my book Full Filler. Several stories in Full Filler went down as "air balls" in ABC tales but yet remain among my favorites. Some of the "threes" that I make on ABC tales do not make it into the edited montage of selected shots. They seemed routine to me and I found/find mysel amazed when the crowd roars.

So yeah, I'm gonna keep shooting. I'm not gonna go for dunks or settle for rebounds. That's not my game. I'm not a giant. I'm a sharpshooter. I'm always a threat to score.

My advice to all writers is to keep working on your game. Develop confidence in your strokes. Treasure the products of your creatvity. The next shot is gonna score. Take that risk.

And if you're thinking of shooting from 22 feet, take a step backwards and go for the extra point.