Misses are a part of NBA life. Sooner or later, one is bound to happen, and that's on a good day.
Back in 1983, Suns Ring of Honor member Walter Davis avoided that moment long enough to set a new mark in NBA history.
The setting was Seattle, Wash., where point guard wizard Gus Williams (20.0 ppg, 8.0 apg, 2.3 spg) and All-Star big man Jack Sikma (18.2 ppg, 11.4 rpg) and helped restore the Sonics' relevance following their championship-contending years of the late 1970s.
That season, Phoenix was riding the consistency of established stars, including Davis, Larry Nance, Maurice Lucas Dennis Johnson and Alvan Adams. The Suns' game in the Emerald City would take place less than 24 hours after a hard-fought win at Utah.
There was no indication that Davis would have an extraordinary night on this particular night. The sixth-year pro had shot just 8-of-18 from the field against the Jazz the night before, a below-average mark for his normally on-target jumper.
So Davis made his first shot. Then his second. A third. A fourth.
“I don't remember a sweeter shot. Ray Allen's got a great shot. The Splash Brothers, [too]. [Walter Davis] was a feared shooter. The other team knew it, too.”
— Alvan Adams on former teammate Walter Davis
His teammates were already used to assuming Davis' jump shots would go in. At this point in his career, "Sweet D" had shot over 51 percent from the field in every season despite being a jump-shooting, perimeter-oriented player.
On this night, however, Davis far exceeded even his teammates' lofty expectations. Former teammate and fellow Ring of Honor member Alvan Adams remembers his own thoughts.
"Should I go to the offensive boards? No. He's going to make it anyway."
Davis did just that — 15 times in a row. Combined with his perfect 6-for-6 showing at the free throw line, Davis' night set a new NBA record for most total points scored without a miss (34). Only a missed shot with 55 seconds remaining in the game (an understandable imperfection as the game was close and the Suns still needed points) marred an otherwise perfect night.
For Adams, Davis' historical night punctuated a reputation he still holds in the annals of NBA history, even as the rest of the league has made outside shooting a trendy necessity.
"I don't remember a sweeter shot," Adams said. "Ray Allen's got a great shot. The Splash Brothers, [too]. He (Davis) was a feared shooter. The other team knew it, too.
"Walter was one of the great shooters in NBA history."