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The Golden State Warriors took the NBA by storm with their willingness to shoot 3-pointers from anywhere, at any time. They won a title, played for another and changed the way teams think about the 3.The precedent was set in college basketball, where current Louisville coach Rick Pitino set the trend and the rest followed.Rick Pitino went to it right away, but everybody else didnt, Villanova coach Jay Wright said. Gradually, everyones realizing the effect and power of that shot.Pitino, then coaching at Providence, embraced the 3-point shot immediately after it was added to college basketball in 1986. The Friars went to the 1987 Final Four behind sharpshooter Billy Donovan and their ability to knock down the 3.Though teams were reluctant to follow suit at first, the 3-point shot became a viable weapon in college basketball. Smaller teams saw it as a way to compete with bigger, more athletic teams, while the teams with big frontcourts like the 3 to help space the court.The percentage of shots taken from the 3-point arc reached an all-time high during the 2015-16 season, with teams combining for 35.4 percent. Three of the four schools that reached the Final Four attempted more than 40 percent of their shots from behind the arc: National champion Villanova (42), Syracuse (42) and Oklahoma (40).Contested 2-point shots dont win games in college or the NBA, said Northern Arizona coach Jack Murphy, an advance scout for the NBAs Denver Nuggets from 2006-09. So I just think youre seeing a lot more teams play smaller or play with more capable 4-men.The trend in the college game makes sense.The NBA 3-point arc is 23 feet, 9 inches from the basket, while the NCAA line is 19-9. The shorter shot is not only easier to make, it broadens the range of players who can hit it.Zone defense is far more prevalent in college, creating opportunities for teams to shoot over the top or work the ball inside and kick out to shooters.College basketball also has a much wider range of talent; a skinny, pure shooter might be able to thrive in the college game, but usually has no shot at playing in the NBA.And theres this: Outscoring your opponent takes a lower shooting percentage from 3-point range than inside the arc.The one thing: One out of three 3s equals one out of two 2s, Arizona coach Sean Miller said. You think about that. If youre a 37 percent 3-point shooter, that doesnt necessarily get anybody excited, but if you take good 3s and you make 37 percent, thats a good shot for your team. Because 1 of 2 from 2, everybody signs up for 50 percent from 2.Its more than just the way the college game is set up. A transformation of skill sets contributed.Almost since the inception of the game, coaches took their biggest players, parked them near the basket and left them there so they could shoot from close range.As the game evolved, so did the aspirations of the biggest players on the court.Instead of just catching the ball in the post and shooting hook shots, they wanted to be ballhandlers and perimeter shooters. These big kids worked on their skills and, after years of resistance, their coaches began to help them.The tallest players often arrived on college campuses with an entirely new cache of skills and coaches embraced it, using their ability to shoot the ball to stretch defenses.Youre seeing a lot more thought put into coaching on the youth level, Murphy said. Theyre putting kids in positions where they can handle the ball and shoot perimeter shots. I mean, the national championship was won by a 3-point-shooting big man. Thats just what youre seeing in the game.That big man was Villanovas Kris Jenkins.The 6-foot-6, 235-pound forward is a bruiser inside, but also has deep range on the perimeter. Last April, he hit one of the most dramatic shots in NCAA Tournament history, pulling up without hesitation for a long 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Wildcats a 77-74 victory over North Carolina.The Wildcats philosophy wont change with their title defense, either.Im OK with 38 to 40 percent, Wright said. Thats good for us.Based upon the statistics, so are many other coaches.---AP Sports Writer Dan Gelston in Philadelphia contributed to this story. Stitched Jerseys Wholesale . With the short-handed Warriors needing help from someone -- anyone -- to stop a three-game skid, ONeal returned from right knee and groin injuries that had sidelined him for four games and put up season highs with 18 points and eight rebounds. It was just enough to help lift Golden State to a 102-101 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night. Cheap Authentic Jerseys . Ryan Garbutt had a goal and two assists as Dallas snapped a six-game losing streak with a 5-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night. http://www.cheapnfljerseyswholesale.com/ . Roman Josi had a goal and an assist to lead the Predators to a 4-1 victory over the Dallas Stars on Monday night. NFL Store Online .500 on the season. The Jets are now 0-5-1 in the second game of back-to-backs. The game started the same way the Vancouver game started the night before, with the Jets taking the first two penalties of the game and killing off the first, but the Oilers getting on the board first, scoring on the second man-advantage. Football Jerseys Outlet . But what about the officials? Every sport has officials and they also have stories about hard work and sacrifice but their accomplishments are seldom recognized by anyone outside their inner circle. INDEPENDENCE, Ohio --?LeBron James was at Progressive Field?for Wednesdays epic World Series finale between the Cleveland Indians and Chicago Cubs less than five months after his Cavaliers staged their own Game 7 for the ages against the Golden State Warriors.Once again a decades-long championship drought disappeared. Once again the triumphant team came back from a 3-1 series deficit to do it. Only this time, Cleveland lost as the Cubs took the title with an 8-7 victory in 10 innings.Thats probably the worst thing about sports is when you have such an epic game, one team has to lose, James said Thursday after the Cavs shootaround. It would have been great for both sides if the game was just called off, 6-6, and both of them get the trophy.Sports is a beautiful thing. It brings so many people together. It can be heartbreaking at times. It can be uplifting ... and its never going to stop. Its going to go beyond all of us -- you guys covering the game, me playing the game -- and the thing about it is the support of teams and championships never stops. Its been going [on] forever.James chase-down block on Andre Iguodala that helped Cleveland secure its first pro championship in 52 years will be replayed forever, just as Kris Bryants throw across the infield to Anthony Rizzo at first base will mark the end of 108 years of futility for the Cubs.While James and his teammates -- many of whom, including a shirtless J.R. Smith, were also at Wednesdays game in suite-level seats?-- got to experience championship bliss, the Indians loss brought to mind all the years of postseason pain Cleveland was known for in the past: The Drive, The Fumble, The Shot and now, perhaps, The Rain Delay.Yet James doesnt see it that way.I think the Indians season was a success, James said. Obviously to get all the way there and not be able to come out victorious, it hurts, especially for those guys that have worked so hard all season. I think we all can agree that the Cubs [were] the best team all season, and they had the most talent all season long. Its just different in baseball. [Teams] have different guys at the mound each game. Its very different, but they had their chance. You cant say they didnt give it their all. They gave a great shot. Just the Cubs [were] a better team going down the stretch.While James has never lost a Game 7 in the NBA Finals, beating the San Antonio Spurs as a member of the Miami Heat in 2013 and the Warriors in June, he has lost four times overall in the Finals, including twice in Game 6 when his team held a 2-1 series lead.You never get past the pain, James said, referencing his losses to Golden State (2015), San Antonio (2007, 2014) and the Dallas Mavericks (2011).dddddddddddd I still think about and dream about or have nightmares about losing in the Finals.Ive lost many times in the Finals. Ive won a few as well. But you never get past the pain. Its just like, as a competitor, its like, Man, what could I have done better? Could I have done this? Could I have [dove] for that loose ball? Could I have taken that charge? Could I have called out a coverage defensively? Could I have helped us win a ballgame? So you never really get past it, speaking from my perspective.The losses have weighed so much on James that after the 2015 Warriors defeat, he told reporters that he would rather not make the postseason if he knew beforehand that another Finals loss would be his fate.Its like you get all the way there and then you lose the big one, its just tough, James said Thursday when asked to recall that quote. Its tough on your psyche. Its tough on your mind. It causes a lot of stress. So that was just my personal take on it. Obviously I would never go into a season saying, Well, Im just not good enough [to win it all] so lets not make the playoffs. I want to give my team an opportunity every year to play for the big one.Even though he had nothing to do with the Indians Game 7 loss directly -- despite James celebration of?Rajai Davis game-tying home run while wearing a Cleveland or Nowhere T-shirt seemingly already an iconic image -- James will suffer some consequences.He made a bet with former teammate and Chicago native Dwyane Wade on the series. The loser has to dress up in a full baseball uniform of the opposing team when the two meet on the court. That means James has to find a Cubs hat, jersey, pants and cleats to wear to the United Center when the Cavs play the Bulls on Dec. 2 in Chicago.Still, James was able to focus on the bright side for what is sure to be a World Series that will be talked about for years.The result is definitely not what I wanted and what the city wanted, but as a fan, extra innings in a World Series Game 7, it doesnt get any better in baseball, James said. Its just a great time in sports right now that youre able to witness these droughts being ended. I mean, you look at the long drought the Cubs went through. You look at ours, or our city. Its a great time in sports for two Midwestern cities, especially. Being in Chicago and being in Cleveland, its great for the fan bases. ' ' '