N

You have arrived at the web home of Noah Brier. This is mostly an archive of over a decade of blogging and other writing. You can read more about me or get in touch. If you want more recent writing of mine, most of that is at my BrXnd marketing x AI newsletter and Why Is This Interesting?, a daily email for the intellectually omnivorous.

June, 2012

Clutch Free Throws

Debunking the myth of 'clutch' free throw shooting in the NBA finals.
Bill Barnwell weighs in on the finals and the debate around "clutch" free throw shooting:
The natural argument against that math is that the Finals represent a clutch situation where regular-season statistics don't apply. Well, that's a testable hypothesis! As it turns out, the Finals don't really represent some magic world where free throws become more difficult. From 1986 through 2011, the teams that made the NBA Finals shot 74.9 percent from the stripe during the regular season, and then shot 73.8 percent on free throws during the Finals themselves. If you can convince yourself that one free throw in a hundred represents teams wilting under pressure, go nuts.
June 19, 2012
©
Noah Brier | Thanks for reading. | Don't fake the funk on a nasty dunk.