The NBA 3-point line extends in a straight line 14 feet from the baseline before beginning its arc. Between the 3-point line and the sideline, there's three feet of space. That's it.
That space is known as "The Corner," an emotion-swinging piece of real estate which doubles as the shortest distance required to make the NBA's most valuable shot: the corner 3.
Twenty-two feet from the center of the rim, the corner 3 is considered the easiest 3-point shot in the NBA, but it doesn't come without its challenges— mainly space, time to shoot, and being defended by more than just who's on the court.
THE (LACK OF) SPACE
Serge Ibaka — who's tied with Dion Waiters for the team lead with 24 corner 3s made this season— stood in front of the Thunder bench and received a pass from Kevin Durant. Rather than shoot immediately, Ibaka pump faked, sending his defender flying past him.
A few feet behind him, Nick Collison and Andre Roberson were barely quick enough to get out of the way before getting clobbered. The play illustrated the small space which separates the bench from the sideline in the corner, space that according to one NBA front office source can vary depending on the arena.
There's supposed to be five feet separating the bench from the court, but you'll regularly see seated bench players' feet toeing the sideline. “Almost all the buildings are at least five feet, but there are some exceptions” the source said, adding that the “five-foot rule” doesn't apply to some arenas which were grandfathered in before the rule was implemented in the last decade.
NBA TV analyst Dennis Scott, who led the NBA in 3-pointers made in 1995-96 (267), is 6-foot-8 and wears a size 16 shoe, which is 1211/16 inches. If Scott's toes are an inch behind the 3-point line, he still only has less than two feet of space between his heel and out of bounds.
“You realize you don't have a lot of room to step into the shot versus if you're on the wing or at the top of the key area," Scott told The Oklahoman. "(On the wing or the top of the key) you can kind of step back and be more traditional, and step into the shot and be more comfortable.”
Before catching a pass, a player is often putting a heel down behind him in order to step into the shot. That works on a 3-pointer behind the arc where there's no out-of-bounds line, but not the corner 3. Thunder guard Anthony Morrow said when he played for Dallas he'd get fined by coach Don Nelson for stepping out of bounds on corner 3s.
“He used to really let me have it when I used to do that,” Morrow said. “I really started training myself to not have as much movement, but to still be down and ready to have enough strength to get that shot off.”
In the 2013 NBA Finals, Miami's Ray Allen may have made it look easy when he stepped backwards and canned a corner 3 with 5.2 seconds left to force overtime in Game 6 against San Antonio, but that all-in-one movement took years of practice. “From years of shooting, I got to my spot,” Allen said back in 2013.
Phoenix Suns coach Jeff Hornacek said in a fundamental jump shot you're falling forward, which is what made Allen's corner shot even more difficult.
“He understands that if you're moving back, you've actually got to shoot it harder than you think because you don't have that forward momentum,” Hornacek said. “That particular shot … that's a guy who's shot thousands of times.”
THE TIME
Just because the corner 3 is easier to make, doesn't mean it's easier to take.
"I think that as far as distance, yes (it's easier)," said Houston's Trevor Ariza— the league leader in corner 3s made (55) and attempted (126). "... but it's still a short closeout for the opposing teams."
That's why despite it being the easiest of the 3-pointers based on distance, players have to shoot from the corner quicker than they would from behind the arc, which is 23 feet, 9 inches from the center of the rim.
Hornacek said he's always amazed at how many players are unprepared to take the corner 3.
“That's one part that I kinda don't get,” Hornacek said. “I always tell the guys ‘if you're gonna shoot the corner 3, you should have already been into your step anyway.' I think what happens a lot is guys catch it and they're not ready and they take their little step back or they move their feet to get ready for the shot and they step on the line.”
In November, the Thunder beat the Orlando Magic in double OT thanks to two blocks by Durant in the corner in the final three seconds. While those shots came under dire circ*mstances, it highlighted the difficulty of getting the shot off under duress, particularly with a 6-11 defender trying to stop it.
The limited time in the corner is one reason why 3-point specialists like Morrow and Golden State's Klay Thompson have adopted a 3-point motion that's doesn't require bringing the ball below the shoulders.
“You already have to have your knees bent,” Scott said. “… you already have to understand the shot may have to be a little quicker.”
THE NOISE
Fire up YouTube and you'll see former Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro stomping and trying to distract a shooter. During Game 6 of the 2012 Western Conference Finals, former Thunder assistant Rex Kalamian can be seen yelling and pointing down at the sideline, close enough to touch San Antonio's Stephen Jackson as he hits a 3 in front of the Thunder bench. This month, Sacramento's Rajon Rondo was caught on film sticking his leg out from the bench as Dallas' Deron Williams pump faked a 3.
With the corner 3 being shot more frequently— the league average for team attempts has increased 68 shots or more each of the last three seasons— it makes for more sideline disruptions.
Surprisingly, the players love it.
"(It's) something we need to leave alone and embrace,” former Thunder guard Caron Butler said. “That's what it's about.”
Following the Thunder's win last week in Dallas, Waiters sat in the locker room shaking his head about “them football players.” Waiters made a 3 in the corner and fell backwards into three current and former NFL players.
Waiters said the crew was riding him the entire second half. “Big shot … big shot here!” Never short of confidence, when Waiters hit the 3, he turned and play wrestled as the entourage doubled over laughing.
There's dodging coaches, players and celebrities ... always being ready ... watching your space. It's all part of The Corner.
"When the crowd gets into it, and some guys on the other bench will say something, it's fun to hit that shot,"Morrow said. "... especially when it's a big shot at the end of the game.
"Some guys will say ‘that's off. That's a miss.' Then you hit the shot, turn around and look at 'em, talk a little trash. That's fun, man … part of the game.”
