Chris 'Birdman' Andersen Regulates the Paint from His 'Bird Box'

Chris "Birdman" Andersen owns the "bird box."

What is the "bird box" exactly? It's the area alongside the baseline where Andersen stands when the Miami Heat run half-court offensive sets.

We laugh at the name, but Birdman has proven to be incredibly effective from his "bird box," according to Joseph Goodman of The Miami Herald): 

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From the “bird box,” Andersen has created an efficient secondary offensive option for the Heat’s slashing attackers.

Andersen, whose nickname is “Birdman,” is 16 of 16 from the field dating back to the fourth quarter of Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

“I just do what I do, man,” Andersen said. “I don’t really think about how many shots I’ve made in a row or how good I am. I just continue to do what I do, and that’s come off the bench and bring defense and energy, run the floor, get to my spots."

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Birdman is 13-of-13 from the floor against the Indiana Pacers alone and is shooting 85.4 percent in the playoffs overall. 

His efficiency from the field has actually reached historic proportions. Andersen's 85.4 percent clip currently stands has the highest field-goal conversion rate of any player in NBA history to have attempted at least 35 shots in a single postseason.

Strictly point-blank opportunities or not, that's incredible.

It's even more astounding when you consider Birdman didn't have a team for nearly half the season. Miami didn't sign him to his first 10-day contract until January.

Now, here he is, making an ample contribution in the Eastern Conference Finals to the best team in the league. Go figure.

"If LeBron calls me up, I’ll come up," Andersen explains. "If not, I’ll stay in the bird box.”

The Pacers defense may now try to plan accordingly.

*All stats in this article were compiled from Basketball-Reference unless otherwise attributed.

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