Re: Best Big Men to Ever Play the Game
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Just common sense. The opposition can score much more easily when it picks up a loose ball near its basket than when the ball is out of bounds.
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You're thinking too simplistically about this. And I'm not concerned about this with regards to Russell. You're spouting falsehoods. First of all, a loose ball near the basket isn't a guaranteed pick up for the other team. Usually your teammates are boxing out. Even if that's not the case, there's still no guarantee they get the ball back. You swat it out of bounds and it's a guarantee.
Basically, it's a situational thing, much like whether you should try saving a ball from out of bounds near your own basket. If you're about to block a lay up when the other team is on a 3 on 1 break, sure, swat that into the stands. But a lot of blocks come from help defense (watch Camby). In those situations, often the blocker has a chance to control the ball himself or towards the side line where the original defender can pick up the ball. This is far superior than swatting it into the stands. Considering most teams average a point per possession, it's worth about a point when you do it.
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