FOUL SHOOTING

Magic swingman Nick Anderson is making a run at infamy: He could
become the first starter in NBA history to finish the season
with a higher percentage from three-point range than from the
foul line. At week's end Anderson was hitting 35.8% (110 for
307) of his threes and 40.0% (30 for 75) of his free throws.
Buzz Braman, the shooting coach, says Anderson has "demons" in
him. Those demons were born in the final minute of Game 1 of the
1994-95 NBA Finals against Houston. Anderson missed four
consecutive foul shots, any one of which would have clinched a
win. The Rockets went on to sweep the series.

Anderson says he's not possessed by demons. "I just missed those
shots, nothing else," he says. Maybe he's right. Last season, he
hit nearly 70% of his free throws. But this year, he has been
horrible. "I've had no concentration, no confidence at all," he
says.

Poor free throw shooting plagues much of the NBA, especially
young players who were raised to take the ball to the basket and
dunk rather than work on their stroke. Through Sunday the
Lakers' Shaquille O'Neal had missed 428 more free throws in 4
1/2 years than another giant, Bob Lanier, missed in his 14-year
career. Bullets forward Chris Webber had botched almost as many
(413) in 196 games as Hall of Famer Rick Barry did in 794 (425).
Sixers rookie point guard Allen Iverson had missed 30 more in 55
games than Golden State guard Mark Price had in his last seven
seasons.

Price takes 100 free throws at every practice. In the summer he
shoots 600 free throws a day, five days a week. That's one way
to exorcise the demons.

--T.K.

COLOR PHOTO: JOHN BIEVER Anderson is solid from long range, if not from the line.[Michael Jordan, Nick Anderson and Scottie Pippen in game]