The Worst Airballed Free Throws In The History Of Civilization, Numbers 36 Through 31 : DumpServer.co.uk

The Worst Airballed Free Throws In The History Of Civilization, Numbers 36 Through 31

36. Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers

Date: February 1st, 2012
Game situation: Up by four, 8:13 remaining in 3rd
Career free throw percentage: 61.7 (13.1 percent worse than 2011-12 league average)
Missed rim by (visual estimate): Less than one inch
Call from the booth: "Griffin well short ..."
Immediate visual reaction:

Other notes: I don't know how much longer the NBA will drag its feet before it finally caves to public outrage and allows dunksmiths like Blake Griffin to get a running start and attempt to dunk their free throw attempts. It might sound like I'm joking. I'm not joking!

35. DeAndre Jordan, Los Angeles Clippers (first appearance)

Date: December 25th, 2011
Game situation: Up by eight, 2:48 remaining in 3rd
Career free throw percentage: 42.5 (32.3 percent worse than 2011-12 league average)
Missed rim by (visual estimate): One inch
Reaction from the booth: "This guy should not be a 40-percent free throw shooter. DeAndre Jordan, when he makes a shot, he looks fine." "He'll clean that up, I do believe that." [shot misses] "What'd you say? He will, at some point in time. He heard me, didn't he? He's taunting me!"
Immediate visual reaction:

Other notes: During the 2010-11 season, DeAndre Jordan shot 45.2 percent from the free throw line. Only eight players in NBA history have shot worse while playing at least 2,000 minutes. Even that was a major improvement over the first two seasons of his career, during which he came off the bench to shoot 38 percent from the stripe.

Here's the thing (1/2): He's probably the second-worst free throw shooter in the NBA, but in a manner of speaking, it's okay that he's bad. He doesn't go to the line all that much anyway -- he averages about two or three shots a game -- so you're talking about maybe a one-point difference on the scoreboard. You know how many NBA games last season were settled by a one-point margin? Fifty-seven, or 4.6 percent of all games.

Here's the thing (2/2): When you're growing up, all the pick-up basketball games you play are book-ended with like 20 minutes of everyone generally just screwing around. Chucking threes, doing layups, trying behind-the-back shots, et cetera. My theory is that DeAndre Jordan is terrible at free throws because he was always the kid who just stood under the net, grabbed the ball off the board, and just put in a half-dozen standing layups in a row. I knew that kid. He's everywhere.

34. Omer Asik, Chicago Bulls

Date: March 6th, 2011
Game situation: Up by two, 7:12 remaining in 4th
Career free throw percentage: 47.6 (27.2 percent worse than 2011-12 league average)
Missed rim by (visual estimate): One inch
Reaction from the booth: "Well, the airball there..."
Immediate visual reaction:

Other notes: Remember that body language, because you're going to see it a lot on this list: his arms just drop like a brick and swing behind him. Human beings only exhibit this gesture when a) shooting free throws or b) playing Skee-Ball.

33. Tiago Splitter, San Antonio Spurs

Date: March 19th, 2011
Game situation: Down by 2, 10:21 remaining in 1st
Career free throw percentage: 59.2 (15.6 percent worse than 2011-12 league average)
Missed rim by (visual estimate): One inch
Reaction from the booth: [Not acknowledged]
Immediate visual reaction:

Other notes: We begin the list with this airballed free throw, because it's the least bad -- at least he came within an inch of hitting rim. Man. Imagine how badly he would have missed it without the shooting sleeve.

32. Reggie Evans, Philadelphia 76ers

Date: April 7th, 2010
Game situation: Down by 17, 8:19 remaining in 2nd
Career free throw percentage: 52.2 (22.6 percent worse than 2011-12 league average)
Missed rim by (visual estimate): One inch
Reaction from the booth: "Well, if you want to foul a guy, this is the guy." "Only Ben Wallace has a worse percentage at the free throw line than Reg does."
Immediate visual reaction:

Other notes: Pictured at left is incredulous assistant coach Jim Lynam, who has been coaching basketball since the 1960s. In those days an airballed free throw never happened, because half of practice was spent shooting free throws. The other half was spent on chest passes. On one occasion a player practiced a step-back jumper. Jim Lynam pulled out a revolver and shot him.

31. Amar'e Stoudemire, Phoenix Suns

Date: January 8th, 2005
Game situation: Up by 21, 8:15 left in 4th
Career free throw percentage: 76.3 (1.5 percent better than 2011-12 league average)
Missed rim by (visual estimate): Two inches
Call from the booth: "Stoudemire goes air!" and, for some reason, a song
Immediate visual reaction:

Other notes: Please observe that the ball does not go out of bounds before an opposing player, the Clippers' Chris Kaman, touches it. The ball was whistled dead before he did, but should it have been? The official NBA rule book does not address any scenario in which a free throw is airballed.

It seems to me that the ball should not have been blown dead. It should have been considered a live ball, just as it would have been had it bounced off the rim. It seems, in the absence of legal protocol, as though officials reserve the authority to issue rulings as they see fit. This is fascinating.