Nic Claxton breaks Shaq’s record for most missed free throws to begin game

Nets’ center Nic Claxton breaks Shaq record for free throw futility originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

You’ve heard of Hack-a-Shaq, now get ready for Hack-a-Clax.

Hall of Fame center Shaquille O’Neal was one of the most dominant low post players in NBA history, but was a 52.7 percent free throw shooter.

One of Shaq’s claims to fame, if you could call it that, was a postseason game in which he missed a whopping nine straight free throws without a make to begin the contest, a league record.

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But records are made to be broken, and Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton did what seemed impossible in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals against the Boston Celtics on Monday. Claxton, who is actually a slightly better free throw shooter than Shaq (53.9 percent), missed his first 10 free throws before finally connecting from the stripe.

While the new record of free throw futility is likely to stand for quite some time, 0 for 10 is as far as it went for Claxton. His 11th attempt from the line was good, and on cue, pandemonium ensued.

There’s no telling just how much the tenor of Game 4 could have changed if Claxton had shot even 50 percent on his attempts against the Celtics.