Tue, Jun 17, 2008 Los Angeles Lakers W 131 92 16 10 W 1 (Celtics win NBA Finals, 4-2) Kobe shoots over 40% only 2 times in the entire series (Game 2 and Game 3) http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/BOS/2008_games.html/ http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAL/2008_games.html/ Wed, May 2, 2007 @ Phoenix Suns L 110 119 1 4 L 2 (Suns win 1st Round Series, 4-1) (The Lakers were down big a good portion of the game) http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAL/2007_games.html/ 7 Sat, May 6, 2006 @ Phoenix Suns L 90 121 3 4 L 3 (Suns win 1st Round Series, 4-3, come back from a 3-1 deficit) (w/o Amare Stoudemire) 22 Tue, Jun 15, 2004 @ Detroit Pistons L 87 100 13 9 L 3 (Pistons win their 1st NBA title, since 1990, 4-1...series becomes known as the first 5 game sweep) (It was Kobe coming through in the clutch again, he only shot over 40% once in series...in the one game LA did win...he did save the Lakers in one game...but he was poor in that series, especially compared to Shaq, who did have pretty good series) http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAL/2004_games.html/ http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/200406060LAL.html Here's the other thing, the Lakers were the favorites in two of series, everyone thought Pistons series wouldn't last 4 games with or without Karl Malone. While, everyone was riding high on them, during playoffs last year, especially over at ESPN were over 90% of their analyst were picking the Lakers to take out the Celtics around 5 or 6 games. While, they held a 3-1 lead over a fading, dying and undersized Suns team. I don't want to compare great players y'know...but I don't see a team with MJ, Shaq, Olajuwon, Bird, or even Duncan on it (and leading it) giving up a 3-1 lead to lose a series to anyone.
Well, I can think of at least a couple of instances where Damon Jones hit a game winner, compared to one for Lebron. On game tying/winning shots, it's not hard to argue that Damon Jones is more clutch. Also, being clutch has nothing to do with where you get your shot off. It's about making the shot... "Oh my, did you see how Kobe was able to weave all the way to the elbow so he could miss that game winner? Simply clutch!"
hahahah...that was funny as hell but i get your point. I think it would have been hilarious to see Mike Brown mike'd up tell Lebron during a timeout "get the ball to Damon and get the hell out of the way" Lebron would be like "wtf did you say" I honestly think that actually making the clutch shot is so much luck that it is really irrelevant. I don't see how Melo becomes a better jump shooter than Kobe out of nowhere in the last seconds of a game. Its seems more likely that he was just lucky enough to have a higher percentage go down similar to when someone gets hot for a night. He's only taken 17 of 'em, right? ...and i am one of those people that gets excited about someone 'weaving all the way to the elbow' in a clutch situation as apposed to someone walking into a long 2 and by chance making it.
to me, a player is clutch if they are "willing to take" the shot. that takes a lot of guts. if they want to take it, chances are they have the confidence to make it. like MJ said, the hardest part is wanting to take the shot, making it is easy.
Admit it, you just don't like Carmelo. Screw that, I rather have Carmelo taking my final shot rather than anyone else in the game as of now. He might suck being a teammate and doing all this other crap, but can sure make a game winner which is who I would pick for my last shot. Of course for any other things, I rather have me other superstars.
I don't know, you can't talk clutch and not have Skip on there. He shoots pretty garbage most games except for the last 4 minutes. At least for the games I've been able to catch.
How does that make any sense? If Jordan wasn't playing the last 5 minutes, it's because it was a blowout and, obviously, there's no clutch situation.
Well, a lot of guys can make open jumpshots, even clutch ones. Damon Jones is one example, at least when he's wide open. Kobe's clutch shots usually have a pretty high degree of difficulty because everyone is keyed in on him, obviously. He still gets the shot off just because he's so good. It's more like "oh look at Bryant weave through everyone step back and hit that fade away 3 pointer! simply clutch!" Additionally, he's considered the most clutch player by what seems like a good amount of players (Caron Butler recently said he burned more clock than he normally would in a clutch situation because he didn't want the ball in Kobe's hands in the end), and by GM's. I don't know what higher praise there is than your peers recognizing you as the best. Stats may be nice to look at, but they don't tell the whole story. He takes the most because he isn't afraid to miss and to take the responsibility for missing. Give me Kobe Bryant for any clutch situation and I'll be a happy man.
Well those are good qualities to have, because he misses nearly 80% of the time. I just don't understand the reasoning people are giving here. They'd rather have Kobe take the last shot (even though he has proven to make well below the average league %) because there's an aura of greatness around him? Ok...
We're crowning Carmelo King of Clutchness from an 11 of 17 sample? All those game winning shots haven't made much of a difference to the bottom line that the Nuggets have been playoff fodder middle of the road team in the Carmelo era. Maybe if Carmelo and the Nuggets played to their capabilities and not be maddeningly inconsistent, then Carmelo wouldn't have to hit all those big time game winning shots that are archived in the NBA legendary archives of greatest games. Why is a spot up shooter who depended on all world players to get him open looks in this conversation? What's so tough about a wide open shot that Lebron James created for you because the whole D is keyed on him? Let's see Damon Jones hit a shot with 5 guys on him and see if he's clutch anymore.
If Tracy McGrady is 20-100 in clutch situations If Brent Barry is 20-30 in clutch situations... Man look how McGrady aint afraid to shoot, thats who I want for me coming up short 4 times out of 5! At the same time I want Shaq in there, if we might need 2 free throws to go ahead. Stats suck like that, but sometimes you just gotta honor the percentages.
