I Jet believe in clutch, since 6/9/11.

(Odd the nickname here is Jet when we're playing the Mavs and they have a Jet of their own.)Never have I ever believed in the term clutch. No specific definition, no actual stat for it, and nothing that I thought backed up the word. Well this all changed yesterday night. No I'm not going to rag on this team, and to be completely honest, I'm not mad one bit. Yes, you heard me I'm completely fine with the loss. I realize we're  a game away from elimination, but that's not what this threads about. Just a reminder 73% of teams that win game 5 go on to be champions. But a portion of the 27% that do come back and win games 6 and 7 was last years NBA Finals. 

So here's the definition of clutch from Wikipedia "In sports terminology, "clutch" means performing well under extreme pressure. It often refers to high levels of production in a critical game, such as Game 7 of a best-of-seven series..."

So now clutch only applies to game 7's or the playoffs? Why can't clutch be referred to in game 16 of the regular season? 3.4 seconds on the clock and a play in drawn to get your star the ball. 3...2...1...ERRR BANG! He nails it the team wins. Now I think that's pretty clutch. I'm going to create my own definition of clutch. 

It's a pressure moment in any circumstance during a critical part of the game. Oh and it doesn't have to lead to a score. It could be a clutch pass, tip, defensive stand, etc... and that's only for basketball. So two nights ago I realized there are players who perform better during the late minutes of the games than others. There's no type of player that doesn't have a chance to be clutch. It can be a superstar(Kobe Bryant) or a role player(Robert Horry), but not one clutch play means you're a clutch player. You have to do this over time. And clutch is not something numbers can really show. It's an eye test. That is my definition of clutch.

With that I'd like to explain why I believe in the term now. You know the greats of the NBA today, LeBron, Kobe, Wade, Dirk, Dwight, Rose, Melo, Durant, etc... All of them are great players. Some better than others. Now most of us believe LeBron is the best player in the league, and that's a true statement when stats seem to back that up. But does that mean you want LeBron having the ball in his hands at the end of the game? I know by my definition it's not only about scoring to be considered clutch, but in this case LeBron's not. Or not yet he's not. I want to get into offensive clutch right now.

Sure I want LeBron defending their best guy when the Heat  are on the defensive side. Like in the Bulls series with him shutting down Rose in the 4th quarter. But do I want him shooting to close out games or to eventually lead our team back? Yes and no. Sometimes he shows he can be clutch, like vs. Boston in OT and vs. the Bulls during game 5 on that comeback. But other times he misses those open jump shots or 3 pointers that clank off the back rim. Which makes me insane during the game. LeBron has improved his jumper a lot since the day he stepped into the league, but he's still a better attacker. And by watching this series and looking in the box score I can tell he's not attacking the basket enough. He's only had 16 FT attempts this entire series. That's sad because he's had just as many in a game vs. the Bulls last series. LeBron is clutch sometimes, but by my definition that's not enough. 

You ever have that conversation who you want to have the ball in the final possession talk with your friends? Well I had one yesterday. We threw out names like Kobe, Melo, Durant, Dirk, and Wade. When LeBron was brought up we discussed his problems with this. First everyone watching knows what he's going to do. There's two possible scenarios. The first is he takes a horrible jump shot that looks off from the start. Usually it's a forced contested shot too. Next is the lay up. He forces his way to the basket and contorts his body to make it look like a foul. He ends up ruining his chance to score because he is too worried about drawing contact for a foul. The shot is either missed or blocked. See games vs. Amar'e and the Knicks, the Bulls, and others during the regular season. The refs aren't going to call a lot of fouls late in the game. They want the players to play. 

So why don't the Heat just give Wade the ball more in the final possession? He's the real leader of this team. He can have a pre-game pep talk and prove why he's doing it. LeBron you have one and put up just 8 points. You can talk, but you got to put up! I know you're the best in the NBA, but you're just not the clutchest.

If I had one player to take the final shot it might just be Wade right now. He's been hitting his 3's, jumpers, and is also just a pure scorer. He also plays while he's hurt and banged up. Gets him some clutch points. Kobe is losing his clutch role, but for a career he's been really good in the critical moments. Dirk I'm afraid every time he touches the ball. It's as if he can make a shot from anywhere on the floor. It's just a matter of him making or missing because no one can contest his size and arc of his shot. 

The clutchest shot by the clutchest player.