But, of course, to many NBA players, making free throws is as difficult as hitting a slider darting low and away or booting a 60-yard field goal into a stiff wind.

Entering this weekend, the NBA had made 76.6 percent of its free throws, a respectable showing, but also an indication that making a free throw is no sure thing, especially for guys like Milwaukee's Andrew Bogut (46 percent), Orlando's Dwight Howard (54.4), Boston's Rajon Rondo (55.1) and Phoenix's Shaquille O'Neal (58.9).

For Ray Allen, however, shooting free throws is as close to a sure thing as it gets.

Allen missed a free throw Wednesday, a rarity for him. He had made his previous 39 in a row. Allen missed another on Friday, but has made 57 of 62 on the season, good for 91.94 percent, ninth-best in the league. Allen ranks sixth all-time in NBA history with a career percentage of 88.95 percent. Former Cavaliers guard Mark Price is first at 90.39 percent.

Allen is above 90 percent for the eighth time in the last nine years, and for the ninth time in his 13 NBA seasons.

Allen began to focus more on free-throw shooting when he played at the University of Connecticut. His coach, Jim Calhoun, insisted upon it. The Huskies began each practice by shooting foul shots. Two players would line up at each of the court's eight baskets and shoot 21 free throws. Allen usually competed against Kevin Ollie.

"Beating him was tough," Allen said.

The eight losers went to one side of the gym and sprinted the length of the court as punishment.

"It was his (Calhoun's) way," Allen recalled, "of in our minds cementing who were the winners and who were the losers. You don't want to be on that side with the losers."

The eight winners went to the other side of the court with Calhoun and shot free throws until only one was left standing.

"I always wanted to be that winner," Allen said.

Allen insists routine and focus are most important when shooting free throws. As far as he can remember, he has had the same free-throw routine since he joined the NBA.

"Now you're going to go back to look at film to see if I've changed," Allen kidded.

Allen keeps his routine simple.

"I go to the line," he said, "I roll the ball in my hands, then I take three dribbles, and I roll it again. Then I go up and shoot it."

Maintaining the same routine is much easier in practice than late in a game, down by a basket with 18,000 fans trying to distract you.

"Free throws are all about everything going on," Allen said, "the intensity of the moment, and when you come right down to the line, you have to stop it all. You have to slow your heart rate down a little bit, you calm yourself, and you just go through your routine."

Allen thinks every free throw will find the bottom of the net, but even when one rattles out, he's careful not to let it bother him.

"The important thing," he said, "is when you get two free throws, regardless of what happens with the first one, you've got to refocus the same way on the second one. I think a lot of guys make the mistake of carrying the first free throw, if you've missed it, into the second one, and you miss the second one. Or even if you made the first one, you automatically get overconfident going into the second one, then you miss the second one. So both free throws require the same amount of focus."

Allen is such a perfectionist at the foul line, it must drive him crazy to watch others miss so many free throws.

"For some guys," he said, "it can be just psychological where you get to the line and you just can't see it. Shooting a Basketball or anything in sport is being able to see it and not think it. You don't aim for a basket, you just put it up there. You train your body to do it over and over again. Some guys just can't see it. You can't really teach it."

Allen figures you can teach someone the fundamentals of shooting, but you can't teach focus.

Allen used to chuckle when he watched the aptly-named Anthony Mason shoot bricks with his odd delivery at the foul line while they were in Milwaukee together. Houston's Chuck Hayes is the most fun to watch now.

"He travels on his free throws," Allen said. "I never thought that would be said or done."

Sometimes the free-throw shooter isn't the only one who gets distracted.

"You get in little conversations with guys on the free-throw line," Allen said, "and you see a guy shoot a brick, and he gets another free throw because you violated the line."

Allen said he has talked about free-throw shooting with Rondo and would love to work with him, not only on his foul shooting but his jump shooting. But he thinks it's up to Rondo to ask for his help before or after practice. Allen isn't sure if Rondo hasn't asked him because he doesn't want to impose, or he wants to figure it out for himself.

In addition to Allen, Rondo could turn to Eddie House or Paul Pierce, both of whom are shooting higher than 80 percent at the foul line this season. Kevin Garnett slipped under 80 percent with a miss Friday night.

"You have great examples here in this locker room," Allen said.

Allen accepted help from teammate Jeff Nordgaard during his second NBA season with Milwaukee. The two conducted free-throw swishing contests after practice.

"Once I got to the game," Allen said, "I felt like my free throws were so easy. If I didn't swish it, it was still going in."

K.G. trade one-sided...

So far, the Kevin Garnett trade has not worked out for Minnesota. The Timberwolves (2-9) figure to miss the playoffs for the second year in a row. They snapped an eight-game losing streak by beating the visiting Sixers on Wednesday, but only 10,111 fans showed up. Boston beat Minnesota handily after a rough first half in the teams' first meeting of the season Friday night, although 19,107 fans did show up to get a look at Garnett and the defending champs.

Of the five players acquired from Boston for Garnett, three remain with Minnesota. Al Jefferson leads the Timberwolves in scoring (22.6) and rebounding (9.7), Ryan Gomes averages 9.3 points and 3.8 rebounds, and Sebastian Telfair averages 6.1 points and 4.4 assists, but he still has trouble shooting (37.5 percent).

Minnesota waived Theo Ratliff, who plays for the Sixers now. The Timberwolves traded Gerald Green to Houston, but he plays for Dallas now. Minnesota also reacquired a first-round pick it had dealt to Boston and acquired Boston's 2009 first-round pick in the deal.

Former Worcester Academy and Boston College star Craig Smith scored a season-high 21 points Wednesday and is averaging 8.5 for Minnesota.

Ex-Celtics star Kevin McHale, Minnesota's vice president of Basketball operations, is on the hot seat, and not only because of the Garnett trade. Swapping the draft rights for O.J. Mayo to Memphis for the draft rights to Kevin Love hasn't worked out well so far either. Mayo leads all rookies in scoring (20.0) and is shooting 40 percent from 3-point land, while Love is averaging 8.8 points and 6.2 rebounds while shooting only 36.9 percent overall. Minnesota did pick up Mike Miller (12.3 ppg, 42.1 3-point percentage) in the deal.

Corey Brewer, whom McHale took with the seventh pick in 2007, is averaging only 5.6 points and shooting just 37.9 percent.

Dopey response?

During a timeout Thursday, Allen and House were asked on the video board to name the seven dwarfs. Neither could remember Doc, the nickname of their coach.

"That's a shame," Doc Rivers joked. "I think we're going to practice on Monday now."

Career free-throw shooters

Player Years Pct.

1. Mark Price 1986-98 90.39

2. Rick Barry 1965-80 89.98

3. Steve Nash 1996-present 89.74

4. Peja Stojakovic 1998-present 89.41

5. Calvin Murphy 1970-83 89.16

6. Ray Allen 1996-present 88.97

7. Scott Skiles 1986-96 88.91

8. Reggie Miller 1987-2005 88.77

9. Chauncey Billups 1997-present 88.64

10. Larry Bird 1979-92 88.57