PHILADELPHIA — An NBA star scored 38 points on six made field goals Wednesday and dismissed questions about his 24 free throws by reminding reporters that “buckets are buckets.”
“The scoreboard does not ask how beautiful the points were,” he said while teammates nodded with the solemnity of people who had watched a lot of free throws.
The performance included drives, pump fakes, abrupt changes of direction, and several possessions where the most important offensive action occurred after the whistle.
Opposing defenders cycled through strategies ranging from verticality to backing away completely, neither of which prevented officials from finding opportunities for additional attempts.
Fans debated whether the game represented elite foul drawing or basketball paperwork, while analysts noted that every free throw remained worth exactly one point despite the discourse.
The star said he would continue attacking aggressively and declined to apologize for understanding the rules better than people who dislike the rules.
He then made two more free throws during the postgame interview somehow.
