Effective Ways to Improve Your Free Throw Shooting in Basketball

Free throw shooting may play a great role in crucial stages of a basketball game. It may help a team cruise to a rousing victory over their pesky opponents or perhaps tie the game and ensue an overtime in the offing.

In NBA, players that are poor shooters are usually fouled and in turn given the opportunity to shoot in the free throw line. Of course, the chance of missing the mark is higher especially when the one that is attempting to chip in bonus points has an atrocious free throw shooting percentage. Hence, free throw shooting is important and it is should be given importance by any players.

Here are some effective tips and pointers to improve further on your free throw shooting:

1. Practice a lot. Shoot from the free throw line as many as you can, and the more you shoot the better you will get. Remember that Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers is a deadly shooter aside from of course being a respected and ferocious slasher. He is shooting hundreds of attempts from any corners of the basketball court including the free throw line. Doing this a lot, will make you comfortable while shooting from the free throw line and makes you familiar with the distance and the force you will exert on the ball en route to sure points.

2. While practicing you must have a firm grip of the ball and your arms should be in perpendicular to your body.

3. Take your time while shooting to get your groove.

4. Control the pressure, never mind the crowd just concentrate in shooting those points from the free throw line one at a time.

5. Enjoy shooting the giveaway points, they are yours to take, and it is ironic not to pull through since no one is guarding you, hehehe.

Here it is cues, tips or pointers that will help you develop into a absolute free throw shooter.

Take Your Pick Lakers, Heat, Celtics or Perhaps Other Teams in the NBA

The opening of the 2010-2011 NBA season will blast off this November and many title hungry teams are crowding the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers quintet will lean on its popular superstar Kobe Bryant and the virtuosity of their head coach Phil Jackson. Both Bryant and Jackson are gunning for their sixth NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers. Additionally, Jackson seeks his 12th NBA title overall.

The Los Angeles Lakers team is still very intact, as Spanish behemoth Pau Gasol, defensive sentinel formed Ron Artest and behemoth Andrew Bynum which forms the nucleus of the team that won the title in the 2009-2010 NBA Season are returning in harness stave off any resistance mounted by their opponents.

The Miami Heat was perhaps the biggest winner in the off-season build-up by acquiring LeBron James from the Cleveland Cavaliers, Chris Bosh of Toronto Raptors and hometown favorite Dwyane Wade will form a formidable triumvirate that will surely give other teams a run for their money.

Other teams to watch in the coming new NBA season is Oklahoma City which boasts off a line up led by 2009 NBA Season MVP Kevin Durant. Boston Celtics which is bannered by the quartet of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo will surely give other teams in the league huge headache on the wooden court.

The Birth of a New Basketball Star in the NBA: Rajon Rondo of the Boston Celtics

Although the Boston Celtics bowed down to the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers 3-4, in the 2010 NBA Finals, but still they are lucky since they just polished a diamond in the rough in spitfirish and all-around player Rajon Rondo.

Rondo emerged as this year’s surprise package as he gets out from his shell to help carry the Celtics to the NBA Finals. Rondo is fast becoming a feared point guard on the league. Still very young at 24 years old, the former University of Kentucky varsity, Rondo shows great promises in the future for the Celtics.

Rondo smothered Hall of Famer and legendary Bob Cousy’s total assists in a season and his stars shines even further as he was selected for his first appearance in the NBA All-Star game held in Dallas, Texas as a reserve this year.

Celtics General Manager Danny Ainge was brilliant when he signed the Celtics fiery point guard to a lofty $55 million deal last November 2009. Ainge could’ve seen some greatness in Rondo, since his gamble paid off and the team started reaping the fruits of retaining the consummate point guard who is capable of doing a lot of things on the court.

Rondo is not only a great passer as he can pluck down rebounds and scores. He registered a triple double effort against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Western Conference semi-finals, as he scored 29 points, pulled down 18 points and handed out 13 assists, becoming only the third player aside from Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson to do so in a single playoff game.

He again went berserk against the Lakers on their Game 2 encounter in their NBA Finals series as he amassed 19 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

In the penultimate Game 7 of their series with the Los Angeles, Rondo came up just two rebounds short of posting his third triple double in the post season. Rondo garnered 14 points, dished out 10 assists and grabbed 8 rebounds.

With the surprising performance Rondo continues to give his team he is now considered to be at par best with the best point guards on the league such as Chris Paul of New Orleans Hornets, Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls and Deron Williams of the Utah Jazz. With Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce getting older, Rondo is expected to carry the torch for the Celtics in the years ahead.

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The History of Los Angeles Lakers Jerseys and Logos

One of the most dominant team perhaps in the NBA is the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers accomplishments in the league was indeed legendary, as its present crop of players is not wavering in giving pride and honor to the team. With an unprecedented 15 NBA championships and 30 conference and division titles on her fold the Lakers’ legacy is evident and continues to flourish. Their renowned player is indeed enormous and their legendary exploits and contributions not only for their mother club but also to the sports as a whole are priceless, phenomenal and inspirational. The winning tradition of the Lakers is indeed remarkable, but this will not be attained with out its lists of exceptional basketball players that were already honored and given due accolades and recognitions. The ball club already has 14 players and two (2) coaches enshrined to the prestigious Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and six (6) outstanding players have their numbers retired.

The team was founded on 1946 and the franchise was then known as the Minneapolis Lakers]]. In 1960 the franchise transferred to the Los Angeles, California and from then on the ball club was later named the Los Angeles Lakers. At present the Lakers’ home or stadium is the Staples Center, which was opened on 1999 and has a seating capacity of 18,997.

The logo used by the franchise on their first game last October 23, 1960 carries the Los Angeles Lakers words which is very similar to the logo used by the team from 2001 to present except that the new version has a yellow basketball on the back of the Los Angeles Lakers words. The team also has an alternate logo used until now that was first introduced last 2002. The alternate logo has the letter L and has a basketball background. The dominant colors used on both of these present logos are purple and yellow.

The team’s jerseys like their logo haven’t changed that much over the years. The gold and purple color was still dominant, except that the new jerseys used now by the team, sports a few changes on its overall looks with regards to the logo. Since the time progresses and new trends come and go, there were changes in the design and fabric used in making these jerseys. Many years back the uniforms used by the players then were relatively tight and short, now with bigger players coming around by droves the player’s jersey’s become loose and longer.

Seasoned NBA Players Duncan, Nash and Iverson Nail All Star Spots

Allen Iverson who almost skipped the entire season provided the biggest turnaround in the NBA this season and even voted to start in the NBA All Star Game next month in the NBA All Star Game next month in Dallas, whilst prolific point guard Steve Nash and formidable center Tim Duncan made it to starting spots as well.
Nash the spitfirish guard of the Phoenix Suns overcame the injured Tracy McGrady for the second guard for the Western Conference, while Duncan mount a big rally in the recent balloting to overshadow Dirk Nowitzki for the forward spot sending Dallas Mavericks fans into disappointments as they will not see their hero as one of the starters in their own turf.

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Former NBA Player Tapped to Reinforce RP Team

Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) selected Jamal Wesley Sampson to be the replacement of C.J. Giles for naturalization to backstop the RP Smart Gilas men’s basketball in its ambitious attempt to qualify in the London Olympics slated next year.
Playing for the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers, Charlotte Bobcats, Sacramento Kings and the Denver Nuggets in the NBA, the six-foot-11 forward-center Sampson, arrived in the Philippines and paid an exclusive session with head coach Rajko Toroman, the same mentor that steered Iran men’s basketball team to its first ever Olympic appearance in Beijing.
Sampson, who suited up for the University of California Berkeley have a superb high school career as he earned third team in the Parade All-America honors, nosing out potential NBA legitimate talents such as Earl Barron, and Shawn Pruitt.
SBP executive director Noli Eala said, ” Its too early to assess but we’re excited with him. He’s highly recommended. He’s got good credentials.He’s more mature and more experienced. Eala added, “Coach Rajko is impressed. He thinks Jamal is a good potential”. Sampson is a cousin of the 1983 NBA No.1 draft selection Ralph Sampson, the younger Sampson was selected 47th overall by the Utah Jazz in the 2002 NBA draft, then was dealt along with Ryan Humphrey to the Orlando Magic for Custis Borchardt. The Magic later traded him to the Milwaukee Bucks for Rashard Griffith.
Sampson have a great collegiate records to boot, he averaged 15.5 points, 10.0 and 2.5 blocks playing as a senior.
Sampson is an athletic who can run the court very well given his height, have a sound skills in the paint and can intimidate opposing teams with his shot-blocking skills.
I hope Philippines will reclaim the basketball throne in Asia and will again emerge as a powerhouse in the world again. Jamal Sampson might be the missing link in the puzzle.