Twenty-Three, Nine: Yet Another Version of “The Odd Couple”

Guest Post by Abacus Reveals

Twenty-three feet, nine inches.

That’s what you get when you combine the Harlem Globetrotters and the Boston Celtics.

An unlikely combination for certain, huh … but perhaps fitting for so unusual a numerical alignment.

Of course, we as hoop fans recognize “twenty-three, nine” as the traditional distance for a three-point field goal attempt in pro ball. The line has fluctuated some at the lower levels of play and in women’s ball – for a while there, a shot from the top of the key was getting a high school player three points.

But aside from the NBA’s brief three-year flirtation with a flat 22’ arc back in the mid-90’s – the average team’s per-game attempts increased…