Free throw
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- Main article: Basketball moves
In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points from a restricted area on the court (the free throw line; informally known as the charity stripe or foul line), and are generally awarded after a foul by the opposing team.
Each free throw is worth one point, and normally more than one is awarded. The importance of free throws is nevertheless sometimes underestimated; games have been known to be decided on them, especially when the score is close. Teams who could have sealed the game on free throws can finish with a narrow win or even a loss because of failure behind the line.
Free throws normally can be made at a high percentage. In the NBA, most players make between 70% and 80% of their attempts. Some good shooters (such as Reggie Miller, Mark Price, Chauncey Billups, Steve Nash, Ben Gordon, Dirk Nowitzki and Ray Allen) can make as many as 90%-92%, while notoriously poor shooters (e.g. Shaquille O'Neal or Ben Wallace) may struggle to make 50% of them.
Tall players often shoot free throws poorly, though the taller you are the easier free-throw shooting should be.[1] One explanation for this is that the high release point of their shots can cause them to stand overly erect.[2] Basketball Hall of Fame member Wilt Chamberlain made just 51.1% of his free-throw attempts, one of the lowest percentages of all time[3], and the poor free throw shooting of 7'1" Shaquille O'Neal, 6'9" Ben Wallace, and 6'11" Tim Duncan, have led to the infamous Hack-a-Shaq and other intentional fouling tactics, which made them a liability to their teams in endgame situations where the score was close. On the other hand, there have also been big men who have been prolific scorers from free throws: Yao Ming (7' 6"), Vlade Divac (7' 1"), Pau Gasol, Hakeem Olajuwon, Dirk Nowitzki (7' 0"), Rasheed Wallace, Kevin Garnett, Mehmet Okur, Brad Miller, Jermaine O'Neal (6' 11"), Amare Stoudemire, Chris Bosh, Peja Stojaković (6' 10"), and Žydrūnas Ilgauskas (7'3") are all 70% or better from the stripe. The more likely explanation is that many big men are guilty of concentrating more on post moves, rebounding, shot-blocking, and screening, instead of working to develop a balanced game, and neglected to master the mechanics of free-throw shooting.
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[edit] When free throws are awarded
There are several situations when free throws can be awarded:
The first and most common is when a player is fouled while in the act of shooting. If the foul causes the player to miss the shot, the player receives two or three free throws depending on whether the shot was taken in front or behind the three-point line. If, despite the foul, the player still makes the attempted shot, the number of free throws is reduced to one, and the basket counts. This is known as a three-point or four-point play, depending on the value of the made basket, and happens more frequently (though still uncommonly as a whole) during a drive to the basket. Commentators sometimes refer to a successful three-point play as "an old-fashioned three-point play" or "a three pointer the hard way" because before the advent of the three-point shot, this was the only way to earn three points on one play. It is uncommon for a player to be fouled while shooting a three-point shot, as most teams take great care to avoid doing so.
The second is when the fouling team is in the team foul penalty situation. This happens when, in a single period, a team commits more than a set number of fouls (four in international play and the NBA). Even if a player is not in the act of shooting, two free throws are awarded no matter when or where the foul occurs. An exception is when the foul occurs while the offensive player is shooting, in which case it is treated like a normal shooting foul.
The team foul penalty situation is slightly different in U.S. collegiate basketball. Once a team has committed its seventh foul of a half, the fouled player shoots a one-and-one, in which the player must make the first free throw in order to get a chance to shoot a second. Beginning with the tenth foul of the half, two free throws are awarded. Free throws are not awarded for offensive fouls (most often charging fouls), even if the team fouled is in the bonus. The number of fouls that triggers a penalty is higher in college basketball because the game is divided into two 20-minute halves, as opposed to quarters of 10 minutes in FIBA play or 12 minutes in the NBA. As in professional play, a foul in the act of shooting is a two- or three-shot foul, depending on the value of the shot attempt.
If a player is injured upon being fouled and cannot shoot free throws, the offensive team may designate any player from the bench to shoot in the place of the injured player in college; in the NBA, the opposing team designates the player to shoot, unless the foul committed was a flagrant-2. In all other circumstances, the fouled player must shoot his or her own foul shots.
If a player, coach, or team staff (e.g. doctor, statistician) shows poor sportsmanship, which may include arguing with a referee, that person may get charged with a technical foul. In the NBA, a technical foul results in one free throw attempt for the other team. In FIBA play, a technical foul results in one free throw if the offending individual is playing on the court, and two free throws if he or she is on the bench. In NCAA basketball, technical fouls result in two free throws in all situations. At both levels, the opposing team may choose any player who is currently on the court to shoot the free throws, and is then awarded possession of the ball after the free throws. Since there is no opportunity for a rebound, these free throws are shot with no players on the lane.
Finally, if a referee deems a foul extremely aggressive, or that it did not show an attempt to play the ball, the referee can call a more severe foul, known as an unsportsmanlike foul in international play, a flagrant foul in the NBA, or an intentional foul in NCAA basketball. This foul is charged against the player, and the opponent gets two free throws and possession of the ball afterwards. Unlike technical fouls, the player fouled must shoot the awarded free throws.
Fouls "away from the ball" (fouls that do not occur on the shooter or near the ball) are handled like the second case above in most situations. Many times defenders hold their opponent to avoid them from catching an in-bound pass or fight through screens and thus are called for fouls. These fouls are almost always treated as normal personal fouls. In the NBA, when there are only two minutes left on the clock of either half, off-ball fouls when the fouling team is over the limit are rewarded with one free throw and possession of the ball. It is therefore common for a losing team to deliberately foul players such as Ben Wallace or Shaquille O'Neal, a dominant player but a terrible foul shooter, up until the two-minute mark, and then play intense defense for the rest of the game (see Hack-a-Shaq). It is believed that this rule was instituted because of Wilt Chamberlain[citation needed]. Previously teams had been allowed to foul any player on the court regardless of whether that player had possession of the ball, with only two free throws awarded to the fouled player. This motivated teams to chase poor free-throw shooters, such as Chamberlain, around the court in attempt to foul him in an effort to extend the game. To discourage this practice, the NBA changed the rule to award one free throw and possession of the ball to a player who is fouled away from the ball in the last two minutes of the fourth quarter. This rule does not apply in international or NCAA play and in fact plays a very vital strategic role in the NCAA Tournament.
[edit] Procedure
Free throws are organized in procession. The shooter takes his place behind the free throw line (19 feet from the base line, 15 feet from the basket). All other players must stand in their correct places until the ball leaves the shooter's hands:
Three people from the defensive team and two people from the shooting team line up along the sides of the restricted area (keyhole, paint, lane). These players are usually the ones that rebound the ball. Three line up on one side and two on the other. A defensive player always takes the place closest to the basket.
The remaining four players, two from each team, must remain behind the three point line and the free throw line extended (an imaginary line extended from the free throw line in both directions to the sidelines).
Leaving their designated places before the ball leaves the shooter's hands, interfering with the ball, and (for the defensive team only) attempting to put off the shooter, are all violations. In addition, the shooter must release the ball within five seconds (ten in the NBA as well as all other levels of basketball in the United States) and must not step on or over the free throw line until the ball touches the ring. Contrary to popular belief, players are permitted to jump while attempting the free throw, provided they do not leave the designated area at any point.[1] A violation by the shooter cancels the free throw; a violation by the defensive team results in a substitute free throw if the shooter missed; a violation by the offensive team or a shot that completely misses the ring results in the loss of possession to the defensive team (only if it is on the last free throw).
Under FIBA rules, if the shooter does not commit a violation, and the ball goes in the basket, the attempt is automatically successful, regardless of violations committed by the non-shooter.
[edit] Free Throws Awarded (NBA)
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Offensive |
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Loose Ball |
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Defensive |
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Clear Path 2 Free throws and possession2 |
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Flagrant 2 Free throws and possession2 |
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| No Penalty1 Loss of possession2 |
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Penalty1 2 Free Throws |
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No Penalty1 Loss of possession2 |
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Penalty1 2 Free Throws |
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Shooting |
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Non-shooting | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Shot made 1 Free Throw |
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Shot missed |
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No Penalty1 Throw-in2 |
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Penalty1 2 Free Throws |
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Technical Foul 1 Free Throw |
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2 point attempt 2 Free Throws |
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3 point attempt 3 Free Throws |
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1 Penalty applies to fouls in excess of four in a regulation period or in excess of three in an overtime period. If a team has not committed its foul quota by the two minute mark of a period, it shall be allowed one foul before the penalty applies. Offensive fouls do not count toward this total.
2 Defensive fouls committed during a throw-in prior to the ball being released result in two free throws regardless of the penalty situation.
