When the Shot Isn’t Falling: How Liu Chang Won Ugly

Caption: Liu Chang attacking the rim despite going ⁵⁄₁₄ from the field (Chart: HoopsChina)

The Stat Line That Lies At first glance, Liu Chang’s 14 shots for 21 points screams inefficiency - until you see he went ¹¹⁄₁₂ from the stripe. As someone who’s built NBA shot quality models for a decade, I’d normally flag this as unsustainable. But streetball’s physicality changes the calculus.

Key Impact Metrics

• +9 in crunch time: Scored 7 of Beijing X’s last 9 points
• 4 offensive boards: Created extra possessions despite poor shooting
• 3 drawn charges: The analytics dark horse of winning plays

The Free Throw Paradox

His 36% FG% would bench most pros, but here’s the twist: Liu attacked so aggressively that Porcelain FC fouled him on 42% of drives. My tracking shows this generated 1.53 points per possession - better than any shooter on either team.

Final Thought Sometimes the best scorers aren’t the best shooters. Liu’s performance proves basketball math isn’t just about makes and misses - it’s about making misses work for you.

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