Trevor Booker nearly pulled off an all-time game-winning circus shot
Any NBA team with 0.3 seconds or less to execute a shot attempt has very few options. That’s why most go with a very simple option — throw the ball near the rim and hope someone gets free enough for a tip-in. It rarely works, but basic logic suggests it’s the best available choice. Sometimes you can’t do anything but choose between bad and worse.
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Brooklyn Nets forward Trevor Booker wants us all to know there’s a better way. The Nets and Washington Wizards were tied at 100-100 in the final second of regulation on Wednesday night, but the Nets had 0.2 seconds to attempt a game-winner following a John Wall offensive foul at the other end. Their attempted solution was not a lob, but an inbounds pass to Booker near the free-throw line. Instead of catching the ball, which would have ruled out a legal shot attempt, Booker tried a creative scoop-tap for the win. Take a look:
OK, so Booker’s shot didn’t come that close to going on. But it’s impressive that such a low-percentage try even sniffed the hoop. You don’t get points for creativity, but Booker deserved some anyway.
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Plus, it’s likely that Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson drew this play up on purpose. Booker is a proven master of the tap-shot — just look at this unreal circus shot he made with 0.2 seconds on the shot clock as a member of the Utah Jazz two seasons ago:
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Unfortunately for the Nets, they could not turn Booker’s ingenuity into a successful overtime. The Wizards pulled away at the 1:00 mark of the extra period and held on for a 114-110 win. Wall and Bradley Beal combined for 54 points for Washington to avoid a severe letdown following a reputation-making loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday.
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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at efreeman_ysports@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
