N.B.A. Playoffs - Ivorie Manning, the Shot Doctor Sandy Huffaker for The New York Times Ivorie Manning, left, working with Tahj Tate in San Diego recently, wants his students to hear his voice in their heads while they are shooting. About a week before the playoffs, Knicks point guard Raymond Felton, who had never been on a team that won a playoff series before this season, his eighth in the N.B.A., thought he needed extra time on the court. So he sent a text message to his shooting coach, Ivorie Manning. "If you have some free time, I'd like for you to come down," he wrote. Three days later, the two of them were alone in the Knicks" practice center about 7 p.m., shooting from several spots on the court: the free-throw line, the 3-point arc, the corner. Manning critiqued Felton's technique on each shot, watching his elbow, his shoulders and his release. A former assistant for the Harlem Globetrotters, Manning is in demand as a shooting specialist. He has worked with the N.B.A. players Ty Lawson, Rajon Rondo and Jerry Stackhouse, but it is his work with Felton, a client since 2010, that would be of most interest to Knicks fans this spring. Felton has been the steadiest shooter from the perimeter among the Knicks" main contributors in the playoffs, and if they were going to rally to defeat the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference semifinals, they were going to need his consistency. He shot 46.5 percent (72 of 155) in 11 postseason games entering Saturday's Game 6, up from 42.7 percent in the regular season. The Pacers led the best-of-seven series, 3-2. Although Felton had his worst game of the postseason in Game 3, making 1 of 8 shots, he had made 13 of his last 30 shots before Saturday. He credits much of his success this season to Manning. "He's been big for me," Felton said last week. He's taught me no matter if you miss two or three shots, shoot the same way. He added, "He's one of the best out there." Manning, 45, who lives in Las Vegas, has helped N.B.A. players improve their shooting for 14 years, traveling from one team to another. His life is as hectic as the lives of the players he works with, and he sometimes coaches opposing players, as he did this year when the Boston Celtics faced the Knicks in the opening round. Chris Wilcox, a power forward with the Celtics, is another Manning client. He also traveled to Atlanta to help Devin Harris work on his jumper. The N.B.A. playoffs are a long way from the California playgrounds where Manning honed his coaching skills in the Venice Beach Basketball League, winning nine consecutive outdoor championships. He began working with N.B.A. players in New York during the 1998-99 lockout, when some players were struggling to stay in shape. He helped with their ball handling, defense and conditioning. But the players most wanted Manning's lessons on shooting. Allan Houston was his first major client, and then Stackhouse. Since then, Manning has focused on teaching shooting, to professionals and to younger players. "I had no idea this would happen," he said of his career path. Felton, who lives in North Carolina in the summer, heard of Manning from other N.B.A. players and first met him in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Manning has visited Felton for workouts during each of the past three seasons, and in the off-season. Manning wants players to hear his voice when they shoot. For Felton, the mantra is "Keep your elbow in, shoulders straight and the ball on your right." "I think that most coaches, whether you're a shooting coach or a basketball coach, they're kind of saying the same things," Manning said. You think people don't yell to Dwight Howard to bend his knees? I think it has to be transformed to the player where he is almost thinking as you as he's approaching the shot. Manning is one of many shooting coaches working in the N.B.A., some on team staffs, others hired by individuals. This season, the Knicks hired Dave Hopla, and they shot 37.6 percent on 3-point attempts, compared with 33.6 percent last season. The Knicks made 891 3-pointers this season, an N.B.A. record. Walt Frazier, a Hall of Fame player and an analyst for MSG Network, shook his head at the trend of specialized shooting coaches. "When I played we had only one coach: the head coach," said Frazier, who won two championships with the Knicks. We didn't have shooting coaches. Shooting is a lost art. Manning agreed that most players could use help with their shooting form. That is why he stands on call, ready to pack his bags and take a trip when his phone rings.