The funny thing is that the three stuff is only one half of the analytics as that shot chart of the Rockets from a few months back showed. It's threes and inside. Drives by players like Harden who get to the line and make them are beloved by analytics.
The main criticism from the stats guys was that teams were relying on too many guys like Ron Mercer and Jalen Rose who could take a step back and be far more useful than dominating the ball and then jacking a 21 footer.
Amusingly as well is that the reason Tex and Phil implemented the Triangle/triple-post originally was that it automatically creates spacing (in one of his books, Phil notes that ideally in his version all players in the triangle are to be around 15 feet apart) and encourages passing with the triangle reforming with different or the same players as the ball moves, and once Jordan bought in it worked even better since he sucked defenses towards him.
I think Riley noted that he realized the "no-positions" thing the Heat were getting hype for "creating" he would run with the Lakers in those Coop-Scott-Worthy-Magic-Green lineups. And the Celtics basically did the same thing with Bird at PF often. So he wasn't too upset by it. (And his first good Heat teams did let fly from three. 1st and 2nd in 1997 and 1998.)
Speaking of Simmons this is from one of my favorite of his old mailbags in 2009:
Q: Why won't you understand shooting percentages? 33 percent from beyond the arc is the equivalent of 50 percent from within. If a guy shot 50 percent from the field, would you be killing him for shooting? Of course not. You obviously realize how stupid that would be. Yet that's what you've been doing -- FOR YEARS -- with your mind-boggling argument against 3-point shooting unless the guy can hit 75 percent of his 3s. Just think about it for a couple of seconds. Please ... we are begging you.
-- Nick, New York
SG: Dozens of readers e-mailed me Nick's same stupid argument in a similarly condescending way, which is what makes the following so much fun: I'm not stupid, YOU'RE STUPID. That 33/50 logic only makes sense in a professional basketball league in which they aren't calling fouls and you aren't allowed to pass to a teammate ... which, as far as I can tell, doesn't currently exist.
Let's say that one player attempts 12 3-pointers and makes four (for 12 points). His teammate attempts 12 2-pointers and makes six, but during that time -- because he's not standing 25 feet away jacking up 3s like an idiot -- he also draws three fouls on his defender, creates two assists for teammates, makes three of four free throws, turns the ball over once, and misses one layup that gets tapped in by a teammate (we'll call it 19 points). You're telling me those two scenarios are equal? If I'm playing LeBron (a 31 percent 3-point shooter), ideally, I want him jacking up contested 3s because that means (A) he's not getting to the line, (B) he's not getting my guys in foul trouble, and (C) he's not potentially creating shots for someone else. I can't defend LeBron when he's going to the basket, especially if he's getting calls. But you know what? If he's happy shooting 3s from 25 feet with a hand in his face, then I'm delighted. This is great. I want him to do that. And if he's doing something that the other team WANTS him to do, then he's doing the wrong thing. I'm fine with shooting 24-footers over 20-footers, but getting into the paint will always be more valuable than jacking up 3s. It's just a fact.
(Note to Nick and everyone else who mailed me the 33/50 argument: I'm doing the Dikembe finger wave at you. Don't come into my house.)
