Before we get started, I have to apologize for the slow motion videos.  Only way I could get them working.

Whenever a player knocks down a shot with 0:30 on the clock, an announcer almost immediately praises them for securing a two for one situation.  Basically, a two for one is when a team takes a shot with right around 30 seconds left, ensuring that you will have the final possession of the quarter.  It is a sound strategy and a great way to create an extra offensive possession for your team.

But these type of situations also lead to some interesting questions and creates an interesting discussion.  One of them being, is it worth it to just kind of throw the ball at the rim to secure the two for one?  Is preserving the two for one more important than getting a good look at the rim?  The reason I ask this now is because of what happened during the Nuggets-Lakers game last night:

In this clip, Kobe gets a dunk with 37.8 seconds left. Chauncey Billups immediately brings the ball up the court and forces a tough jumper with 32 seconds left. It was obvious that he was kind of just throwing the ball at the rim to try and keep the two for one.

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Everybody talks about how important “two for one” possessions are.  While I agree, I tend to believe (at least early in games) that I would rather get a good shot and not have a “two for one” situation, rather than forcing up a bad shot just to preserve the “two for one.”  However, one thing I believe is that a team should always get the last shot of the quarter if possible.  In the first quarter of game three, the Celtics found themselves in a situation where they could hold for the last shot, but they weren’t able to execute.

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