Doug Collins has no recollection of the one and only three-pointer he shot during his career. Oh sure, he didnt get to play very much when the arc was painted onto courts for the 1979-80 seasonjust 48 games, in factbut even then, a hot shooter from the outside like Collins didnt stray too far beyond 24 feet.
It was probably at the end of the clock, Collins said of his lone three-point attempt. Back then, nobody used the three-pointer in their offense. They really didnt. It was used more by the ABA teams and it took the NBA teams a while to use it.
Even then, the best gunners in the NBA didnt fire up too many three-pointers, either. Brian Taylor of the San Diego Clippers led the league with 90 three-pointers and 239 attempts, totals that barely would crack the top 80 in the NBA last year. Even former Sixers coach and Villanova standout Chris Ford was overshadowed after making the first three-pointer in history on Oct. 12, 1979 at the Boston Garden.
That was also Larry Birds first NBA game.
Still, the three-pointer was looked at as a bit of a novelty or something utilized only when a team was trailing late in a game. Collins said it was viewed as a home-run shot, and the Sixers, Eastern Conference champs in 1979-80, shot just 125 three-pointers that season and made only 27 of themfor the season. Henry Bibby led the team with just 11 three-pointers. As a point of reference, Andre Iguodala has made 12 three-pointers through the first four games of the 2011-12 season.
I just think it was looked at as a shot to be taken at the end of the game to try and win games, Collins said of the infancy of the three-pointer. It used to be the NBA teams took them late in games when they were behind. I think what they found out was the spacing it gave you to have a post game, or if you have guys who can slash and cut and get to the basket, now you can drive and kick for an open three.
These days, the three-pointer isnt a novelty at all. Its a weapon. Better yet, its a weapon the Sixers have used to their advantage, however judicially. Through the early going, the Sixers are second in the Atlantic Division in three-pointers made with 30, but are 20th in the NBA with 69 three-pointer attempts.
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Certainly it helps the totals when Iguodala (12 for 18) and Lou Williams (9 for 18 despite an 0-for-5 showing against Utah) are shooting a combined 58 percent from beyond the arc, and the team will almost certainly cool down a bit as the season progresses. However, with five games on the road to open the season, Collins team picked a great time to knock down some big shots.
But when Iguodalas hot streak from long range was brought up after Tuesdays practice at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Collins cringed a bit. No, it wasnt because he didnt want Iguodala to shoot three-pointers, it was because he didnt want to jinx his hot shooter.
I dont like to talk about Iguodalas three-pointer shooting, because when things are going well I dont like to think too much about it, Collins said. I think one of our goals as a team is to take as few contested shots as possible. When we move the ball we get a lot of open shots and I think what were doing is in a rhythm and its not off-balance and in the frame of what were doing. Iguodala has hit some tough ones and he had a couple where he got fouled. He hit one the other day where he got knocked down after he shot it.
To look at Iguodalas numbers after four games, it shows he has been taking slightly fewer shots from every spot on the floor except for beyond the arc. The difference through the very small sample size has been Iguodala has been creating shots from long range with only 58 percent of those makes with assists attached to them.
Another difference for Iguodala has been confidence.
Its just confidence when I go in to shoot the ball, Iguodala said of his hot shooting. Its just knowing where its going before you even let it go. They have been tougher threes, too, so its confidence.
Interestingly, Collins teams dont shoot the three very much. Last year, the Sixers were 24th in the NBA in three-pointers attempted and during his two seasons as the coach in Washington, Collins team ranked 26th and 28th. However, the Sixers were third in three-pointer shooting percentage during the playoffs and 15th during the regular season a season ago.
Obviously, its the threat of the three-pointer more than the number of attempts that Collins prefers. Every coach in the league talks about floor spacing while on offense and with Williams and Iguodala knocking down long shots with the weapons the team already has in the backcourt, there is a trickle-down effect. Spencer Hawes has averaged a double-double through the early going, Williams is averaging 20-points per game coming off the bench, while the team ranks in the top two and three in advanced metrics like effective field-goal percentage and offensive rating.
Sure, there are more factors than improved three-pointer shooting that have lifted the Sixers game through the first four contests, but trailing in games hasnt been an issue. Last year, the Sixers lost their first four games and attempted just 55 long shots.
I love it when we take good three-point shots and were not forcing them, Collins said. We can shoot the three but we also have a great ability to get to the line and get into the paint and do those sorts of things.
If we shoot the ball well we can do some of the things we do well. We can get back on defense and we make teams play against us in the halfcourt.
Considering the Sixers are holding the opposition to the fourth-lowest shooting percentage in the NBA, the defense has been as good as the shooting so far.
E-mail John R. Finger at jfinger@comcastsportsnet.com.