From Foxsports: “According to hoopdata.com, Ibaka was a bitter 25 percent this season on shots taken within 10-15 feet of the rim. In Game 4, he was 6 for 6. Perkins made 21 percent of his attempts from that range during the season, but made 2 of the 3 he unleashed Saturday night.”
Serge Ibaka wasn’t as good as he was in Game 4, but he was still 4 of 6 in Game 5, scoring 9 points. I know at least one of them was a mid-range jumper. Maybe he’s been practicing, knowing that the Spurs will leave him wide open for jumpers. Gregg Popovich seems to be taking his chances based on the stats, hoping that, eventually, Ibaka will fall back into his 25% shooting percentage away from the paint.
