When you have an opportunity to take the final shot of the quarter, let the clock run down sufficiently before shooting in order to prevent your opponent from rebounding a miss in time to get another shot off.
In Game 3 of the NBA Finals, the Celtics had possession of the ball with 27.5 seconds left in the first quarter. In order to beat the 24-second clock, Wallace threw up a 3-point shot with 4.9 seconds remaining and missed. Fisher rebounded the ball and threw a long pitch ahead to Odom, who made a running layup and drew the foul with just .7 seconds left in the quarter. Odom sank his free throw and the Lakers wound up converting the defensive rebound into a three-point play, stretching their lead from six points to nine heading into the second quarter.
When you have possession in the final stretch, it is critical not to shoot the ball too early. Run the shot clock down to approximately 5-6 seconds before starting your attack to the basket. It will take a few seconds for the play to develop and you can get the shot off with 2 seconds left on the clock. Waiting until the 2-second mark will allow enough time to shoot and, if you should miss, for your teammate to tip it back in. If an opposing player grabs the rebound after a miss, at least he won’t be able to get the ball down the court in time to score.
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