There is a common scene in NBA games, seemingly, for decades. It’s when there are one or two seconds left in a quarter—usually the first, second, or third—and a player gets a defensive rebound or is inbounded the ball. He then dribbles the ball, and instead of launching a 70-foot shot with the small chance of scoring his team three points, he simply continues to dribble and lets the clock expire.
Another variant is the same situation as above, but he’ll knowingly let the clock expire, and then launch a full-court heave, knowing that a likely miss won’t be reflected on his shooting record. These scenes have become commonplace in the NBA during the last minute of a close game.
