I believe he shot it that way for a purpose- he was trying to hit the 6 afterwards and move it closer to the pocket. If he had done so, it would make the position off the 5 much easier.
I've done this myself a number of times. But you have to be sure of your ability to kick the ball in.
If you look at him close, you can see that he appears dissappointed that he missed hitting the six.
Too me, this is a little insight into top level thinking. Most think it was a bad move. But in reality, it was a very smart move.
