On the final day of the 2023-24 regular season, some playoff teams will be vying for seeding, others will be trying to improve their chances of getting into the draft lottery, and some teams will simply be on a roll. I was hoping to finish the season.
The Houston Rockets were in the latter category after failing to make a late charge in the play-in tournament, and were aiming for their first undefeated record since the 2019-20 season.
Both Rockets and Los Angeles Clippers fans got a win on Sunday.
Center Boban Marjanovic missed his first free throw with 4:44 left in the fourth quarter of Houston's eventual 116-105 victory over the Clippers. Marjanovic, a career 76.4 percent free throw shooter, then intentionally missed his second shot to win a free throw for the fans in the crowd.
The Clippers are running a promotion where fans in attendance will receive free chicken if the opposing team misses two consecutive free throws in the fourth quarter. So the Clippers faithful, who had watched their backup team compete admirably throughout the game, finally had something to celebrate, prompting a rising crescendo.
Boban.
a person among the people. 🍗 pic.twitter.com/PRq6xIXxIW
— NBA (@NBA) April 15, 2024
The idea of rewarding home fans for missing two consecutive free throws in the fourth quarter has grown in popularity in recent years. When the last players on the bench finally took the floor, some players missed their first free throws, exciting the crowd, only to make second ones and mock them.
But if there was ever a player in the NBA who intentionally missed games to make sure fans took home a reward, it would be Marjanovic, perhaps the greatest professional basketball player on the planet.
The former Clippers fan favorite, who is a finalist for this season's NBA Sportsmanship Award, has spent his career making kind gestures at various locations around the league.
As soon as the second free throw rolled off to the side of the rim, Marjanovic raised one finger in the air and reminded the players to thank the free Chick-fil-A.
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(Photo: Adam Pantozzi/Getty Images)