Clutch vs. Not Clutch

[Fafnir]

can usually hit the big shot when needed given LeBron and Wade do their job.

I guess 29% isn't what I'd call "usually".

Overall the Heat are shooting 31% from deep in the playoffs, 33% if you remove LBJ/Wade's attempts. 29% from deep as a team against the C's.

Its been a close series, and Miami's reliance on hitting 3s from their complimentry scorers has really hurt them.

[slamtheking]

Durant just happens to be the perfect foil for Lebron in the media, since they are both All NBA players.

The fact is, neither of those players are as clutch as Paul Pierce.

End of story.

TP for just recognizing PP as a truly clutch player.  Always had the cajones to take the big shot unlike Lebron.  Many a game in the Toine days where PP put the team on his back offensively and carried them across the finish line in the 4th quarter. 

[twinbree]

People criticize Lebron because he promised multiple championships and said it would be easy. How hard is to understand that when you make bold proclamations people will hold you to it? You don't run off to form Voltron and expect a pass when your team get outplayed by the underdogs. Apart from Skip Bayless no one was really criticizing him when he came up short in Cleveland. He even had elbowgate to bail him out after his 2nd straight upset as the top seed.

Durant has hit quite a few big shots to get his team to the final. So far Lebron hasn't. Even considering that Durant is a much better shooter, I'd say he's been a whole lot more clutch. Even Rondo oft-maligned shooter and so often accused of disappearing in the 4th has been better in the clutch.

[BudweiserCeltic]

can usually hit the big shot when needed given LeBron and Wade do their job.

I guess 29% isn't what I'd call "usually".

Overall the Heat are shooting 31% from deep in the playoffs, 33% if you remove LBJ/Wade's attempts. 29% from deep as a team against the C's.

Its been a close series, and Miami's reliance on hitting 3s from their complimentry scorers has really hurt them.

We're talking about clutch moments here, so that they shoot "29%" from 3 is irrelevant to me, as when shooting when "it counts" so to say.

For example, game 5. James Jones, 1 for 2 from 3 in the 4th. Chalmers, 1 for 2 from 3 in the 4th.

Battier didn't shoot, but assisted Chalmers on his. It just seems to me (even if through the body of the games they've missed shots), than when the games are close, they seem to make this shots when called upon. My biggest fears in these clutch moments, is not Wade or LeBron hitting contested shots, but them finding these shooters, particularly in the corner, when they draw the defense to them.

[Fafnir]

can usually hit the big shot when needed given LeBron and Wade do their job.

I guess 29% isn't what I'd call "usually".

Overall the Heat are shooting 31% from deep in the playoffs, 33% if you remove LBJ/Wade's attempts. 29% from deep as a team against the C's.

Its been a close series, and Miami's reliance on hitting 3s from their complimentry scorers has really hurt them.

We're talking about clutch moments here, so that they shoot "29%" from 3 is irrelevant to me, as when shooting when "it counts" so to say.

For example, game 5. James Jones, 1 for 2 from 3 in the 4th. Chalmers, 1 for 2 from 3 in the 4th.

Battier didn't shoot, but assisted Chalmers on his. It just seems to me (even if through the body of the games they've missed shots), than when the games are close, they seem to make this shots when called upon. My biggest fears in these clutch moments, is not Wade or LeBron hitting contested shots, but them finding these shooters, particularly in the corner, when they draw the defense to them.

All the shots count.

When you miss a wide open 3 with a 7 point lead (its NOT clutch) instead of making it thats just as important as what you do later on in the game.

But beyond that, even your clutch statement is off for the first two games. (the last three aren't in the data so I went to ESPN.com's game logs to manually tabulate it)

http://bkref.com/tiny/I5bnf

In games 3-5 Chalmers is 1-3 from 3 point range in "clutch" (last 5 mins 4th or OT margin under 5) and Battier is 0-1

So Battier is 1-6 in the clutch and Chalmers is 2-8.

They aren't shooting all that well for the series off the open looks they're getting and they are doing even worse in the "clutch". Chalmers is actually doing pretty well this series with his overall play (he had a huge game 2), as is Miller (at least when it comes to hitting shots). But the rest of the supporting cast has been woeful.

[CelticG1]

People will always make excuses for Lebron

Truth is he handpicked his own team, took less money so the Heat could add more and people still making excuses. He didn't have enough talent in Cleveland and doesn't have enough talent on the Heat apparently.

[Chelm]

There's no one in the NBA that I hate more, but the criticism leveled at Lebron about not being clutch is SO overblown.  It's true that he hasn't worked on many facets of his game as much as he should, and it's also arguably true that he settles too often for "bad" shots, but at least at this point in his career, his physical gifts FAR outweigh this.

Also, PP is more in the mold of Kobe than Lebron in terms of fearlessness in taking the last shot, but I don't think that significantly takes away from James.  I mean, how clutch was Shaq when he was with the Lakers?

I'd take Lebron over Durant (right now, likely not 5 years from now) in a heartbeat.  Cleveland was a 61 team in 2010 and a 19 win team in 2011.  I don't see OKC dropping 42 games more if Durant was taken off.  OKC is clearly a better team past their #1.

[Celtics4ever]

I always thoguht he would be fine with Wade acting as the closer.  Something however, is not clicking and I was wrong.  I always saw LeBron as a Pippen on steroids and a stat machine but not a closer.   All he needed was that clutch guy to hit the big shot.  If had a Robert Horry he would be fine.

[BballTim]

34 points, 14 rebounds with 6 fourth quarter points (all foul shots, btw) = Clutch

30 points, 13 rebounds with 9 fourth quarter points = Not Clutch


Those are the lines from Kevin Durant last night and Lebron James from game 5.  Durant is being praised every where far and wide about how clutch he is and he takes over and James is getting killed for failing to show up when it matters.  I just don't get it.  The hate and nonsense Lebron gets is absolutely ridiculous.

  If Durant goes the next 3-4 years without winning a title he won't be called clutch any more.

[Celtics18]

34 points, 14 rebounds with 6 fourth quarter points (all foul shots, btw) = Clutch

30 points, 13 rebounds with 9 fourth quarter points = Not Clutch


Those are the lines from Kevin Durant last night and Lebron James from game 5.  Durant is being praised every where far and wide about how clutch he is and he takes over and James is getting killed for failing to show up when it matters.  I just don't get it.  The hate and nonsense Lebron gets is absolutely ridiculous.

They must have an Lebron James fan forum somewhere.  It's probably called allthekingsmen.com
or something like that. 

Look, Lebron James is the best basketball player on the planet.  There it is.  I don't even think that's disputable.

To help his cause he was really clutch in game six against the Celtics last night.  However, if the Heat lose game seven, much of the professional and amateur media world will be railing about what a loser he is yet again.  Fair?  Who knows.  It's a part of the world of the modern sports superstar, though.  They all go through it.  Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, and even to a lesser extent our Rajon Rondo are all players whose character has been called into question as much as, if not more than, their games. 

Like BBallTim said, Kevin Durant will go through the same thing, as will Derrick Rose, and other rising stars if they fail to win titles, as well.

Suck it up, Lebron James and Lebron James fans.  It won't go away until he wins a title or more, which he in all likelihood will.  I just really, really hope it's not this year.

[Mr October]

Perhaps its OK that Lebron isn't a clutch scorer at the end of games. Shaq wasn't. I doubt Bill Russell was. Pippen wasn't. Clutch scorers tend to be great shooters. Thats not Lebron's game, yet he still puts in 30, 9, 6 with regularity.

Last night was an amazing performance by Lebron. One of the absolute best performances I have ever seen in such a meaningful playoff game.