With five quadruples, Converge import Scotty Hopson is the all-time leader in 4-point field goals.
Moreover, from cellar dwellers, he has helped the Converge FiberXers become contenders. If the FiberXers are smart, they can keep Hopson for the Commissioner's Cup with Justine Baltazar's imminent PBA debut.
As mentioned, Hopson already has five quads, two more than Jerrick Ahanmisi.
Hopson went 2-of-3 against TNT from that line, and it's insane considering that he missed all two of his three-point shots.
He also booked the league's first 4-point game-winner.
This is actually what I envisioned the four-point shot - as a final boss move that messes with what we know about basketball.
That said, I am happy with how the shot is becoming. The shot is changing how we play the game and from a marketing ploy, I can see the move as a believable weapon.
A season ago, you won't foul a player when you are up by three and the player is inbounding from the other side of the court. Now, the hardcourt heave is going to be a proper arsenal. The rule change also forces the players to play multiple positions, at least from a defensive standpoint. It also makes it harder for teams to challenge dribble-drive plays and it converts the three-point line into our version of the mid-range jumper. The important thing here is that big men are going to be more active in getting the loose balls, and players have an incentive to shoot triples.
We have seen how the slam dunks have lost their luster and how the NBA has unleashed an excessive amount of three-point shots through the years. I believe the NBA asked the PBA to become willing guinea pigs for this move.
I don't want to be a straight-up conspiracy theorist. I think Adam Silver can't afford another PR disaster given the mild reaction for the NBA in-season tournament.
Obviously, Silver learned something from the PBA because we are one of the leagues in the world that has two or three conferences per season.
This is why we all of a sudden have the four-point shot.
Again, I am just acting like a conspiracy theorist here, but if this thing works for us, I bet the NBA would follow.