Slate Magazine rips Robert Horry bad

Wow. Horry has made so many huge plays in this series, most of them hustle plays. What, is he supposed to make every 3 he puts up? I'm sure it was solely his fault that his teams lost the last two years too. He's hit more big threes than any role player ever. And he's one of the smartest players in the game. What the hell is Slate magazine?

 

You read about sports from MSN??? Enough said.

 

Well you might as well post the entire article. The guy makes some fair points.

 

You can't take this too seriously. It's obvious this guy is taking a different angle from all the other reporters so he'll get his column noticed. Everyone else is blowing their load over Horry so he figures there's room to make a niche for himself by saying the opposite of everyone else. People accused Dan Lebatard of this when he claimed racism was a factor in Steve Nash's MVP win, but I think this is a lot more blatant. He's just trying to be the columnist version of Jim Rome and 'talk some smack.' Everyone knows the proper response. What did the five ringed fingers say to the no-name MSN sports columnist? SLAP!

 

He makes a lot of good points. Robert Horry has been a good supporting player on legendary teams and made the right decision more often than not. The fact that he has no fear to take the big shot is completely because he will never get the blame if it rims out. I like Horry just like everyone else, but people need to wake up to the fact that he doesn't "elevate his game" when things get tough, rather, he just doesn't try until it's a big game. Sometimes, it's hard to catch that, but Horry has always been gifted. His athleticism (in his prime) and shooting touch at 6'10" suggests that he should have more than a career 7 ppg average. More than anything, everyone's love for him is just proof that nobody thinks the regular season means anything.

 

Well, obviously. This isn't the Premiereship or Serie A where you get a trophy for the best record over the season, the only hardware is handed out in the playoffs. Why would we care if the championship is awarded then instead of the regular season?

 

It doesn't attempt to give him credit, but it makes a valid argument. But it's true of nearly all legends: the bad is always quickly forgotten.

Evan

 

Ok, the towel was bad, but swinging at Jeff Hornacek? Which Rocket plan or fan wouldn't wanted to do that to the Jazz of old? I can't tell you how many times I wanted b!tch slap Hornacek every time he shoots a FT, throw an elbow right in the throat of Stocktong he goes around a pick, and go after Malones's knee when he sticks it out and kick someone in the crotch.

 

Just like the towel Horry threw at Ainge this ‘writer’ Felix is edgy and in my face.

 

What point does he make. This is the title:
Is Robert Horry the NBA's best clutch shooter or its best con man?

However, that's not what he adresses in the article, he adresses everything but the clutch shot. And he does that because he knows the statistics weigh hevily in favor of robert Horry. The facts is, if you compared Horry to Jordan on big shots he beats him. He beats everyone. If the article does anything it cements the point that Robert Horry does one thing right, he makes the big shot, and does nothing else.

 

the towel was just as good. danny ainge is the little b**** who pegged elie in the face with the ball during one of our series with them. it was sweet justice what horry did.


as for the article, yes horry hasn't been the greatest 3 point shooter ever in the playoffs, and yes, you can say he has no pressure, but wouldn't that go for every role player in the playoffs? does every other role player have a list of huge 3's a mile long? does any star, but reggie miller have that many big 3's? i mean his overall 3pt % may not be the best, but i'd have a hard time believing his percentage at the end of games and on big shots is not significantly better than others. i mean, i don't think people just made up the big shot bob nickname b/c everyone loves robert horry just that much. or b/c he's just been an average big shot guy who just happened to take a lot. he's performed exceedingly well in clutch situations.

and none of that speaks to just how damn smart and crafty he is. the number of balls he's knocked away from behind on a semi-break, the number of rebounds he's tipped back out, the number of steals he's gotten lurking in the weeds on an outlet pass, his ability to feed the post, his blocked shots. the guy really does just do so many little things right you almost can't believe it. he just understands the game, and even if he does coast in the regular season, he's there for you in the playoffs (except that 2-38 year, which was painful to watch even though i hated the lakers).

 

Horry did stink the last 2 postseasons, especially in 2003. I remember the 2-38 debacle which culminated in that last second 3-pointer rimming out at the end of Game 5 vs. the Spurs. He also had a horrific brick that got nothing but glass last year in Game 5 vs. the Fakers which everyone overlooks thanks to the miracle shots by Duncan and Fisher. This postseason's been something of a resurgence for the guy. Which is surprising considering he's 34 years old and has logged a lot of playoff minutes in his career.

My biggest problem with Robert Horry is how great a player(not just big shot maker) the guy could've been had he worked harder. The Scottie Pippen comparisons in his early years may not have been entirely accurate, but he had the potential to be at least a poor man's Quitten. Then you could really make a case for Hall of Fame credentials.

And BTW, why has everyone always said the dude looks like Will Smith? Their faces look completely different.

 

He does make some good points. I'll admit, since he left the Rockets, I've never been the biggest fan of Horry's. All I think of is the quote he had after he was traded from the Rockets - "It's nice to get out of that dump it to Olajuwon offense". He never appreciates the situations he is put in.

 

It was an alright article. But, he seems to expect too much from Horry -- or he feels like people laud him much more than I've seen. Horry is just a role player. When people call him Big Shot Bob, they know he's still just a role player. On the next big trade, he'll be a throw-in to make it work under the cap. Big Shot Bob is not himself a big shot. He quotes Horry saying he takes no risk and all the glory on the big shots, and put it as if it's a bad thing. It's not bad, Horry tells it like it is. And honestly, you want your role players to be able to take shots without undue pressure in crucial situations. Him taking shots with nothing to lose is fulfilling his role well. So, while I think the guy's right, he's also making something out of nothing.

 

I understand where he's coming from but I don't think he articulated his feelings very well. He should write about how Horry sleep walks through entire seasons then hits a couple of big clutch shots and everyone forgets he hasn't played to his potential much of his career. And I don't mean the over-the-top "he could be like Pippen" potential. I mean the play hard, disrupt the other team and be a good weak side defender and rebounder potential.

 

Pretty stupid article. Horry's play has markedly improved in the playoffs in comparison to his regular season stats (his PER is up a few points), and by and large he's been 150% the player he was during the regular season in the playoffs over his career.

He had two of the worst postseasons, or at least Conference Semifinals, I can remembe anyone having -- which is co-incidental enough that he had them two years in a row, and even more shocking that it came from this celebrated basketball figure.

I liked some of this Felix guy's other work, but this article is BS and it appears as if he was on deadline with a cross to bear. Pretty stupid stuff that should never happen to anyone who has this much time to work between articles. If he wants to go negative, there are so many things to tear apart out there, things that haven't been touched by any other writer.

And if the writer wants to sluff off an entire career because of one loss of focus (the towel thing), than he better be prepared to write off just about every NBA legend who ever was. Shock horror, but Russell, Wilt, Oscar, Larry, Magic, Jordan and the rest weren't exactly model citizens in the throes of a game or practice situations.

Horry was everywhere in the WCF and first two games of the Finals, and he's hit more big shots than any NBA player since MJ went down. That's more than f!cking enough for me. Gillette should be embarrassed.

 

Chick Herns (+) used to say that Rob is one of the most complete players he has ever seen, and definitely one of the most clutch players during the playoffs. I think I'll trust Chick over some slate writer, thank you.

Rob's contribution is not just his scoring. The man just knows basketball so well that he can pick his spots to make key steals, draw key fouls, and make subtle adjustments that does not show up on the stat sheets.

 

Horry is a good clutch player, and a good role player, he in the game make a little thing like a steal, rebound or a block or a 3 pt shot, and in last seconds he scores good baskets, I like him.

I think he has the record for most 3 pt shot in a finals game (thats something)

 

Offensive. Here is what I wrote back. I love Horry.
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There are no numbers to measure 'clutch' shooting, and he did not gain that reputation as a fluke. did you watch the Rockets in 1995? Game 1 of the Finals vs. Orlando? Lakers v. Sacramento / Portland / etc?

Of course he makes boneheaded plays - he is Robert Horry, that is the deal, that is the rub; he is sort of a savante. But to detail his boneheaded plays and minimize his outstanding ones are revisionist history; "con man" was too easy a premise, and there is a reason; because the premise is wrong.

The other thing that I think any basketball fan knows, Horry is smart as hell. His overly casual, ref-hugging aloof demeanor belie an extremely intelligent player, especially on defense. He plays possum when the other team is passing the ball off of a rebound, and makes incredible steals. he has been doing it for a decade. As a defender, he is absolutely a team defender, doing the little things that are crucial to prevent easy buckets and create turnovers. He has always done it - Houston, phoenix eve, LA and SA.

By the way, Simmons was being facetious about the Hall Of fame. you act like someone out there is calling him Jordan or even Reggie Miller. what is so fascinating about him is not that he is an 'undiscovered Jordan;' it is that he has made a niche for himself in the NBA is a completely unique way - somewhere between role play and star. But he like a cockroach hanging around that Larry O Brien Trophy. Obviously, being paired with Dream, Shaq and Duncan helps. But if you think that it is coincidence, that all *his* stars get the trophy, you should ask them: dream / shaq and duncan. They all seem to know what he bring to a team. How is he different that Phil Jackson in that regard? Five rings in is statistically significant, bro, no matter how you slice it.

Thanks for reading