Bryant below league-average on game winners/game-tying shots

But but but Kobe is the best closer.

 

But but but Kobe is the best closer.

 

It's all about perception.

If you like to lose, he's the best closer in the game.

 

Fans forget a lot of his misses because his teammates have been there to bail him out. So there's this perception that he always hits the game winner. Other players that might actually come through just as (or more) often haven't gotten as lucky and so people realize that those guys miss most of their game-winning opportunities.

 

Because every time he hits a game winner, they replay it on ESPN for the next two months. People that don't watch NBA regularly thinks he hits every game winner.

 

This pretty much explains it.

 

Which is why he won that undeserving MVP.

 

I'm talking about the ESPN highlights. Kobe did not deserve that MVP.

 

Kobe is good at making clutch shots but EVERYONE knows he's taking that shot. He gets tougher looks than say Paul Pierce or Ray Allen.

I find it hard to believe that all the players, GM's, coaches, and media that constantly choose Kobe as one of the most clutch players are idiots.

You must have some perspective. I don't think you could find a single coach to say that Kobe was anywhere near average, and definitely not below, in the clutch.

EDIT: I will say that Kobe is an overrated clutch performer in general. He doesn't make the right play. In fact, he doesn't really make any plays. He only shoots.

 

The problem here isn't that Kobe isn't clutch, its that clutch shot attempts are so few they shouldn't be used to determine a player's clutchness. The league clutch average is higher but the average NBA player probably only has like 2 "win or lose" attempts a season, maybe even less.

The whole thing is BS IMHO. Franchise players are called superstar because what they do the entire game, and not because of 1 shot at the end of the game (see Robert Horry).

 

HEre is ESPN trying to make clutch into a statistic again, its more objective than anything and I think Cuban and Pritchard went at hollinger in a panel at the sloan conference about this about how numbers do add a new dimension of information, but there are just too many holes, too many stories that it doesn't tell to try to use to make a bottom line.

This is another thing, clutch is beyond making a shot, otherwise the highest percentage people(some role players) would be the number one in the nba guy you want to take that last shot? Its more of a mindset of a guy who is not flustured and does not listen to the crowd or the time on the clock or the pressure, but just makes something happens and can create the shot and has the cold blooded mentality to hit that without having all the exterior pressure break you. Remember even jordan missed game winners as much as he made, its not someone who knocks it down, its never truly been defined

according to this number, every coach should want kobe to get the ball at the end of the game against their team and let him shoot that percentage and that is simply not the case, doesn't tell the whole story.

 

And I would still give him the ball over anybody in the league at the end of a game

 

TWSS!*


*then she changed her mind and pressed charges

 

People need to understand that this is not the same Kobe from the past 6-7 years. He's clearly lost a step and yet he's still one of the top five players in the league. His efficiency will drop a bit but doesn't mean you don't give him the ball to close the game. He's been there and done that so many times.

 

BALL NIGHT!

 

again, people really think clutch is just game winners? REALLY? REALLY?

 

in order for there to be a fair comparison i think they should consider the last five minutes of a game not just the last shot of the game. And kobe is very good in that period as is lebron, wade, MJ and all the other great closers in the game.

 

exactly. I don't care what the percentages are, but if my team needs a basket, who else do you want taking it? And I'm not even a Kobe fan.

 

I wonder what Jordan's stats are in the clutch situations.

I'll take LeBron or Wade at the end of a game if given the choice.