For example, is Davis Bertrans a better three-point shooter than Steph Curry? He's shooting 47.6% while Curry is shooting 44.4%. Case closed? Of course not. Bertrans is a floor-spacing big who takes open shots. Curry is a one-man wrecking ball that pulls defenses from the halfcourt line.
Likewise, there are many other factors in being "clutch" other than just a lack of time:
- Who is on the floor? Dwayne Wade/Kyrie Irving or Derek Fisher? Ray Allen or Metta?
What offense are they running? Modern pace and space or a rhomboid version of the triangle?
Who is the opponent? Weak east or brutal west? Raptors or the Spurs? An injured ragged Warriors or a historic Celtics juggernaut?
What are defenses doing? Staying home on Dwayne Wade, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love, Chris Bosh, or playing Hack-a-Shaq? Or making Lamar Odom beat you?
What kind of shots were taken in the "clutch"? Was it a pull-up jumper or was it a backdoor cut for an open layup? Was it a well-run play or was it a box and one bail-out?
And saying that Shaq was better than any of Lebron’s teammates is irrelevant. You could also say that Kobe never had the balance that Lebron had. Kobe had to be Lebron-Kyrie combined, Lebron-Wade combined. The result of that responsibility is taking tougher shots. Shaq was great but he was a liability down the stretch because of free throws. If he was on the floor, forget about taking a shot in the paint - it was clogged. If Shaq were off the floor, Kobe was playing one on five, because that’s how poorly his teams were balanced. These factors are not accounted for in those “clutch” stats - low resolution.
Lebron’s championship teams were far better balanced than Kobe’s. Beyond Wade, Bosh, Kyrie, and Love, Lebron had a spectacular supporting cast. For example, look at the three-point shooters he had during '12-13: Ray Allen (42%), Shane Battier (43%), Mike Miller (42%), Chalmers (41%), Rashard Lewis (39%). Kobe’s shooters during the '09-'10? Farmar (37%), Metta (36%), and Fisher (35%). Think about how that affects the quality and difficulty of shots during crunch time.
This is why Lebron has never built a team up, instead he’s joined teams that have great balance, and an elite stretch big and an elite guard. Lebron has never handled the pressure of carrying a team through adversity, whether it’s a season, a series, a game, or a possession. He will leave, as he did Cleveland, twice.
The difference is that Kobe will go to war and just take on that responsibility 99% of the time. That's what all his peers recognize. Game recognizes game. In that gold medal game during the Olympics, who was clutch? Kobe. And Wade. What was Lebron doing? When SHTF, guys like Kobe and Jordan will be there. Lebron won't be. And he knows that too, which is why he will try to get those guys to do that for him. Dwayne Wade was the closer for the Heat, and Kyrie Irving - who can forget that biggest shot of the finals?
This is why all players and coaches overwhelmingly favor Kobe and knock Lebron on this. This isn't because of a conspiracy theory. It's because they have a more comprehensive knowledge of what it means to be "clutch." Because they have a high resolution view of basketball. You don’t. Those are facts.
