I’ve seen some pretty creative attempts to distract free throw shooters (usually at the college level), but what the Houston Rockets went with Wednesday night — a modern day Oscar the Grouch if he let himself go? — was right at the top of the list.
Sorry, you can’t unsee that.
It didn’t work, Rodney Hood hit the free throw. And it mattered, as the Jazz went on to beat the Rockets 89-87 to pass them and take over the eighth seed and the final playoff slot in the West.