Here's something that's been bugging me for a while. In the NBA, players always rush a shot off at the last second. It doesn't matter where they are on the court, or how far from the basket. If they see that clock ticking down to 0, they'll hurl up a prayer, with the hopes of it magically falling in. The chances of this, however, are very slim.

I've seen guys do it on their offensive end of the court, in close proximity to the basket. This is somewhat understandable.

I've also seen guys do it from the other end of the floor - literally throwing the basketball over their shoulder like a football. The ball sails through the air, and often lands in the crowd, or hits the top of the backboard. It's clear the shot should not have been attempted.

This makes sense when the game is on the line, and that basket would help the team tie, or win the game. But too often I see this "hail mary" shot being taken when the points would not even matter - ie: end of the first or second quarter.

The question is, why even attempt such a shot? Players only deflate their own statistics, since that shot counts as an attempted field goal.

I don't notice this behavior in other sports or levels of competition.

For example, in college basketball, players don't seem to do this. If the clock is winding down to 0, and it's at a non-important juncture of the game, players will simply let the clock wind down.

In football, you don't see QB's launching a hail mary pass at the end of the first half. Nope, if they're not in close range, they'll just take a knee.

Perhaps NBA players are overly egotistical, and only want to pad their own stats. I surmise this is the case.