Letters
By Science News
Science not in the zone
It makes no sense to analyze basketball shooting streaks (“In the zone,” SN: 2/12/11, p. 26) as though they were similar to slot machines or video games, which are supposed to be random. Basketball shooting, and other sports activities, are definitely not random events.
Walt Gray, Richland, Wash.
I was very surprised to hear the model that statisticians use to try to measure “streaks” in basketball. I would say that it is clearly wrong, and throws away very important information about time. Humans do not see streaks as mere repetition. They see them as rapid repetition. Throwing away the time information loses half the ball game, as it were.
Bruce Ewing, Eugene, Ore.
Based on my participation in sports (many decades ago), I believe there is a mind-body symbiosis that temporarily allows the player to concentrate on the play at hand and blot out distractions that often adversely influence the outcome. This has nothing to do with statistical clumps or patterns. It is peculiar to the human brain and its effectiveness in controlling the muscles involved. Quite often it is characterized by players as being “loose” or “dialed in” — their actions become instinctive and they no longer have to think as much about the moves involved. They are in a “zone.”
This is the same phenomenon involved when a field goal kicker, for example, can make every kick in practice but may miss in a game due to becoming “tight” when the kick has great importance. The 3-point shot contest associated with the NBA All-Star game is another example where one often sees shooters becoming dialed in (or not). A similar effect may be present when sports teams manage to develop extraordinary winning streaks. Success breeds success, as they say, and the collective team spirit becomes focused on the next game and thereby achieves better performance.
George Sutherland, Sammamish, Wash.