This Rockets Team Will Make Three Point History

Regardless of the outcome of the 2013 NBA playoffs the 2012 - 2013 Houston Rockets will make NBA history.

Mark Jackson can't stop us this time.

The Rockets team that continues to exceed expectations sits only 23 three pointers away from the single season NBA record currently held by the 2009 - 2010 Orlando Magic.

The Breakdown:

The Rockets need to average 4.6 three pointers a game over the remaining five contests to tie the record. That's six makes below what the Rockets already average per game.

More History:

The Rockets have already made history with their shooting this season.

Mark Jackson resorted to hack-a-Rocket, despite an end-game deficit of nearly 30 points, to keep the Rockets from setting a record for most treys in a single game in February.

The Rockets ended the game with 23 makes tying the 2008 - 2009 Orlando Magic (The season before Vince Carter). They also tied a record with 14 three pointers in the first half.

Hell, if the Rockets repeat their 23 trey impression of Scott Skiles in NBA Jam then they will tie the record tonight.

Most Attempts In A Season:

As every barowner says when they decide to host a happy hour with twenty-five cent beers, 'You gotta spend money to make money.'

In the quest to set the single-season record for makes the Rockets are shooting at a lower rate than the 2010 Magic.

According to math this means the Rockets are well on course to set the single-season record for attempts.

The record is 2,284 attempts.

The Rockets are 66 attempts behind the record and average slightly over 28 attempts a game.

Can you guess the current record holder for attempts?

It's the 2008 - 2009 New York Knicks courtesy of Al Harrington, Nate Robinson, Chris Duhon and Quentin Richardson (the most unsurprising thing I've learned today).

The System:

It's no secret the Rockets value the three ball. The internet has spent thousands of words explaining how Daryl Morey and Sloan Conference attendees advocate the elimination of the long two in favor of the three.

The basic theory makes perfect sense: A three pointer carries a marginally higher degree of difficultly than a 20 foot jump shot, but the payout is an extra point.

So where are these three pointers coming from? Let's use Carlos Delfino as the example.

Carlos Delfino has drained 148 three point shots this season. That's a career high and he's only played in 63 games (he's missed 14 contests).

If I had to make an over/under on how many of those shots Delfino created for himself I'd put the Vegas line at 0.5 -- That's for the season, not per game. When Delfino goes to the hole there two ways to react: Ask "what's going wrong?" or go crazy like a Spanish FIBA announcer.

Delfino isn't exactly a high-flyer on the Rockets. Despite being the third fastest Argentine in the NBA.*

There's a well-tread philosophy here. Harden and Lin create havoc with the ball in their hands. They are going to move to the basket. On the way they are going to find a way to score, get to the free throw line or kick the ball out for some open looks by Delfino or Chandler Parsons or Marcus Morris or whoever Daryl Morey has found with a pulse and an eye for the basket.

Drive-Kick-Swing. Drive-Kick-Swing. The formula works. Here's the top ten Rockets:

*Back to Argentina: Delfino is the third-fastest Argentine out of four. For the record: Here's my list of fastest Argentine NBA players Ginobili, Prigioni, Delfino, Scola -- All-Time: Juan Ignacio Sanchez, Manu Ginobili, Andres Nocioni, Pablo Prigioni, Carlos Delfino, Luis Scola, Walter Herrmann and Fabricio Oberto.

Feel free to disagree. I admit I've never seen Ruben Wolkowyski play.