No need to test science with this one
To say taking a charge from a full-grown man on the basketball floor is the equivalent of being hit by a bus is a commonplace description in sports circles. Now, however, it appears to be nearly true when describing what it’s like to voluntarily be run over by Duke freshman Zion Williamson.
The Wall Street Journal consulted a physicist from the University of Lynchburg to try and determine just how much force 2019’s possible No. 1 NBA Draft pick generates. After reviewing clips, Goff’s attempt to quantify the force Williamson generates — to try and determine whether the getting-hit-by-a-bus description was apt — amounted to a determination that isn’t far off.
At the request of the Journal, physicist Eric Goff reviewed grainy clips of Williamson charges … and quantify the basketball equivalent of getting hit by a bus. Goff calculated the maximum force of impact during one Williamson charge to be 300 pounds — the equivalent of the average force during a similar, head-on collision with a jeep traveling 10 miles per hour.
Williamson is listed at 6-foot7, 285 pounds on Duke’s roster. Despite his acrobatic dunks and big blocked shots, his flight through the air is not small. And the way in which he attacks the basket — the sheer force, speed and strength he uses — is jawdropping.
As the WSJ noted in its story, there have been some brave souls along the way in high school that elected to get plowed over by Williamson. At the college level, though, Williamson has yet to be whistled for a charge through 10 games. Any volunteers?
He’s sorry now
George Hill played a total of 56 games in a Cleveland Cavaliers uniform, but his time with the team featured one of the most infamous sequences in NBA history.
On Friday, the Cavs traded Hill to the Milwaukee Bucks in a threeteam deal. As he said goodbye to the Cavs, Hill extended an apology, via The Athletic’s Joe Vardon, for missing a potential game-winning free throw against the Golden State Warriors at the end of Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals:
“Sorry I couldn’t get it done when I was here for the Finals, missing that free throw, but it’s nothing but love. You gotta give the organization thank you, you gotta give my teammates a huge thank you for welcoming me with open arms since I first got here, giving me a chance to play in the NBA Finals, something I’ve never dreamed of. So for me it’s kind of bittersweet.
“You don’t want to leave a place that you create relationships with your teammates and people in the organization, front office and things like that, but, it’s a business. Get another opportunity to take my talents and my game down to Milwaukee and try to help them win games as best as I can.”
With the Cavs down by one point with 4.7 seconds remaining in Game 1 of the 2018 Finals, Hill stepped to the line with a chance to come through in the clutch for his team. He sank the first attempt to tie the game, but with a chance to give his team a onepoint lead in the final seconds, he couldn’t convert — and that led to teammate JR Smith dribbling out the remainder of the clock instead of shooting or passing to a teammate for a game-winning attempt.
Cleveland would go on to lose 124-114 in overtime despite a 51-point performance by LeBron James. Golden State went on to sweep the series, 4-0.