paulbball wrote:MetalFingaz wrote:paulbball wrote:LeBron needs someone to carry him in the playoffs in the clutch.
Kyrie is the obvious choice.
Pick up some slack, or carry? Because LeBron is statistically one of the most clutch playoffs performers of all time. Stop the silliness.
Let us be serious. Kyrie has historically carried LeBron in the clutch.
LeBron does more in 40 minutes, but that last minute, no one in the world is better than Irving.
Well...
Bleacher Report wrote:Playoff Years: 2006-15
Playoff Teams: Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat
Total Clutch Minutes Played: 354
First, as ESPN Stats & Information highlighted in 2013, LeBron James has been pretty darn good on game-tying or lead-taking attempts in the last 24 seconds of playoff games ever since he entered the league:
Since LeBron came into the league in 2003-04, nobody in the NBA has made more game-tying and go-ahead shots in the final 24 seconds of playoff games than LeBron, who is 7-of-16 on those shots. His 43.8 field goal percentage on those clutch shots ranks the best in the NBA since his rookie season among players with at least 10 attempts. The league average is 28.3 percent on those shots.
Along with his buzzer-beater layup to defeat the Pacers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, LeBron also made a go-ahead layup with just under 11 seconds remaining in overtime.
Our analysis has similar results. And frankly, the gap between the man with the royal nickname and everyone else isn't even a small one.
If you want to argue that James fails in big moments, go right ahead. If you want to claim that his shrinking in the 2011 NBA Finals should be a permanent stain on his career and prevent him from ever being clutch, that's your prerogative.
Just be aware that you're spitting in the face of facts and letting your personal desires trump logic. After all, James has made plenty of game-winning shots in big games. He even had the famed "48 special" against the Detroit Pistons in 2007, when he scored his team's last 25 points in a double-overtime victory.
And that's only looking at scoring, which obviously isn't all that matters down the stretch of a close game. After all, James has made quite a mark passing up his own shots for better ones from his teammates, even in the biggest moments.
Maybe you want someone else taking the final shot, and that's fine. That's not what this analysis has ever been about, and looking at it through such a lens is taking an archaic approach that won't lead to as many victories when you run your hypothetical team.
But if you want someone running the show during the final five minutes of a close game, James is the obvious choice.
Via:
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2447467-nba-playoff-history-clutch-meter-the-top-25-late-game-players-in-recent-memory#slide25He's now 9-21 in the last 24 seconds, or 2-5 since this article was written.
I'll say again, stop the silliness.
It's time for 5 refs.