How to Survive the Most Treacherous Spot in the NBA

The space in the corners between the three-point arc and the sideline is just 36 inches, leaving less than two feet of space for Tucker to maneuver. Now, as a member of the three-point-happy Houston attack, more than half of Tucker's shot attempts come from the corners. It's just shorter than the other shots."Fifteen years ago, D'Antoni led a Suns team that helped thrust Popovich's corner three revolution forward. "You have guys that want to expand their games, and I get it, but that's not what we do," D'Antoni says, adding: "[Former Phoenix Suns guard] Joe Johnson used to run into the corner, and he didn't love it. The league's rules dictate that both feet have to be planted on the court before a player can touch the ball, making the timing on a catch-and-shoot messy.Patterson, Tucker and many others have figured out a remedy."You hop into the shot," Patterson says. Robinson III, the son of a two-time All Star, caught a pass, buried the jumper, then turned back toward Pierce."I stared him down and started talking junk," he recalls.In recent years, the percentage of three-pointers attempted from the corners has actually dipped a bit, according to research provided to B/R by the NBA. "Everyone always says to me, ‘The corner is your favorite shot,' but that's not true," Tucker says, "It's just the best place to go to space."But Tucker is is quick to point out that there's more to the corner three than simply catching and shooting off a standstill, First, he said, he plants his feet.