Over 60% of NBA games have at least one very long shot, usually at the end of quarters. If made, they can be spectacular so they are popular on YouTube [Top 10 Long Distance Shots of 2007, NBA Crazy Half/Full Court Shots etc] but most often they are missed badly which in my mind always brings the same question:
What are the Odds of Making Buzzer-Beaters from Long Distance?
It’s time to answer it! Originally I wanted to research it using play-by-play data from ESPN but thanks to one post on APBRmetrics I’ve found out that someone saved me some time by publishing 3 files with detailed data for all shots attempted during last 3 regular seasons and playoffs… Thanks!
But first here’s a look at The Longest Shots Attempted in the Last 3 Years [all of them missed]:
| Player | Date | Place | Qtr | Distance | Link to |
| Steve Blake | 2010-12-25 | Home | 1 | 89 | Play-by-Play on ESPN |
| Steve Blake | 2008-11-24 | Home | 2 | 88 | Play-by-Play on ESPN |
| LeBron James | 2009-2-20 | Away | 1 | 87 | Play-by-Play on ESPN |
| Dwyane Wade | 2009-3-15 | Away | 2 | 87 | Play-by-Play on ESPN |
| Rodrigue Beaubois | 2011-3-16 | Away | 3 | 86 | Play-by-Play on ESPN |
Weak Side Awareness 