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I think this guy is gonna be just fine in the playoffs.I live for those moments,” Mason said afterward. “I look forward to end-of-the-game situations
Mason develops into Mr. Big Shot
Jeff McDonald
NEW YORK — When the Spurs made a free-agent run at guard Roger Mason Jr. during the summer, they did so based on one number.
“We knew he shot 40 percent from three,” coach Gregg Popovich said.
Dead-eyed from 3-point range. That was Mason's most obvious NBA skill.
What the Spurs could not have known then, what could not be quantified and what has rapidly become his most valuable skill, is Mason's knack for the dramatic.
How do you put a number on a player's unwillingness to bend to pressure? How do you measure, at a glance, the amount of ice water coursing through a player's veins?
Four times this season, Mason has lined up with a game on the line. Four times, he has swished the kind of clutch shot that would have impressed Robert Horry, one of the NBA's all-time masters of such theatrics.
Mason's latest star turn as Big Shot Rog came Sunday in Boston, when his leaning, off-balance 3-pointer with 20.4 seconds left provided the go-ahead points in the Spurs' upset of the defending champion Celtics.
“I live for those moments,” Mason said afterward. “I look forward to end-of-the-game situations.”
Mason's most recent big shot gave the Spurs a signature victory on their rodeo road trip, which rolls on to New Jersey tonight.
Compared with the rest of his expanding catalogue of last-minute daggers, the one Mason unleashed in Boston almost doesn't count as clutch.
Each of his previous three game-winners — 3-pointers to beat the Clippers and Phoenix, and a traditional 3-point play to beat the Lakers — came with less time on the clock. His Christmas Day miracle against the Suns, in fact, came as the final horn sounded.
Next to that, the 20 seconds remaining in Boston felt like an eternity.
The Spurs, of course, did not know Mason had this in him. Nobody did.
Toiling in Washington the past two seasons, Mason didn't get much of a chance to flash his proclivity for late-game heroics. Not with Gilbert Arenas around.
“Gilbert wouldn't let me take that shot with him on the floor,” said Mason, a career 39.8-percent shooter from 3-point range. “And when he was gone, Caron Butler wouldn't let me take that shot.”
The Spurs have no qualms with letting Mason fire away. It's what he is paid to do.
Mason began the season the way many newcomers to the Spurs' system have in the past. He tiptoed around the stars, deferring to Tony Parker and Tim Duncan and later Manu Ginobili, patiently feeling his way around the offense.
Early on, Popovich did much to try and coax up Mason's confidence and comfort level. The first such move came Nov. 17 against the Clippers at Staples Center.
The Clippers had rallied from an 11-point deficit to tie the game at 83 heading into the final minute. In a timeout huddle, Popovich drew up a play that freed Mason for a 3-point attempt from the top of the key.
Mason nailed it, penning the prologue for the storyline that would define his season so far.
Other memorable shots would follow. Eventually, Mason revealed a shooter's confidence and a shooter's short-term memory.
Whether he's playing well or playing poorly, Mason seems to become automatic when the game clock creeps under a minute.
The winner he tossed up against the Celtics? Mason was 2 of 8 from the field at the time he released it.
“He feels confident he's got the green light,” Popovich said. “Once in a while, there might be a shot that looks like an invention or an experiment. For the most part, we want him to feel free to do that.”
The game-winner at Boston was one of those experiments.
With the Celtics ahead by one, Kevin Garnett had missed a jumper at the other end. Mason snagged the rebound and maneuvered upcourt, pausing only to wait on a screen from Tim Duncan.
There was no timeout called. No play designed. Mason simply pulled up for a fast-break 3-pointer that gave the Spurs their biggest victory of the season.
“We trust him with those shots,” Manu Ginobili said. “He's very confident.”
If the Spurs didn't know that before they signed Mason, they do now.
BETTER LATE THAN NEVER
Just four months into his career with the Spurs, guard Roger Mason Jr. has flashed quite a flair for the dramatic. He has made four game-winning baskets for the Spurs, most recently Sunday afternoon at Boston. Here is a look at Mason’s greatest 11th-hour hits:
Nov. 17 @L.A. Clippers: Spurs, shorthanded with Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker out, are tied at 83 with the lowly Clips. Mason sinks top-of-the-arc 3-pointer with 8.4 seconds left for the final tally. Spurs 86, Clippers 83
Dec. 25 @Phoenix: Mason provides a Christmas Day miracle, knocking down a corner 3-pointer as time expires to rescue victory from clutches of defeat. Spurs 91, Suns 90
Jan. 14 vs. L.A. Lakers: With Spurs in danger of blowing game against Western Conference nemesis, Mason gets three points the hard way. He buries a 20-footer with 10.4 seconds left, drawing a foul on Derek Fisher in the process. The ensuing free throw provides the winning point. Spurs 112, Lakers 111
Feb. 9 @Boston: With Spurs down by one, Mason grabs a defensive rebound and takes off, firing up an off-balance 3-pointer for the go-ahead basket. Spurs hang on down the stretch with free throws. Spurs 105, Celtics 99
I think this guy is gonna be just fine in the playoffs.I live for those moments,” Mason said afterward. “I look forward to end-of-the-game situations
Great article by McDonald BTW.
Is it just me, or he like those off balance, leaning shots? He usually do it off the screen and bang! That's the way he did it against the clippers too.
Mason's dramatic flair is rubbing off on McDonald.
Good for mason. With every clutch basket he increases his asking price come conttract extension time by $100K.. not many players have his kind of rep and come that cheap.. any way, more power to him, he deserves every penny he'll be getting.
Actually, there was.There was no timeout called. No play designed. Mason simply pulled up for a fast-break 3-pointer that gave the Spurs their biggest victory of the season.
Pop signaled from the bench to run a 2-?(can't remember exactly, but the 2 obviously signifying the shooting-guard) which is designed for Rog to rub his man off a Duncan screen and pop the 3 before the defense gets a chance to setup.
This is starting to look a little reminiscent of 2003 between Rog and Hill.
In terms of swag and generally coming out of nowhere, Rog definitely brings a reminder of Jack, and the combination of Hill's explosive talent, mixed with a bit of an unknown ability (that can prove to be an X-factor), he plays the role of a injured/transitioning/younger Manu quite well.
Mason sometimes looks like he shoots before he even has his hands completely on the ball.
You're right though. Mason actually squares to the basket in mid-jump most of the time when ever he's on the move for a catch off a screen, and he leans/holds the ball until it feels right to release in mid-jump off the dribble.
It's actually almost more noteworthy if he just catches the ball with his feet under him for the basic spot-up off a kick-out.
my favorite was that shot against the Lakers, drawing a foul from Fisher.he like those off balance, leaning shots? He usually do it off the screen and bang!
How sweet revenge that was
He's shown the ability to hit pressure jumpshotsshots from a standstill or on the dribble though I think he prefrs the latter since he can shoot in rhythm. Defenses ignore him at their peril.
I have been beyond amazed by his clutch factor. But I fear the days are winding down until he misses a big one. Then the Cult of Mason will be in total chaos.
Well...
That's a H-U-G-E shot ok but seriously...
With the clock down to a single possession and your team down by a single point you dont want your team to take a leaning fast break three pointer.
He made it that's fantastic but hey I've been around long enough to know he would have been buried for his lack of judgement had he missed it.
Yeah, I actually want him to miss a clutch shot at some point prior to the playoffs. Learning how to get over a choke is just as important as the art of being clutch.
If his first choke is in the playoffs, he might not bounce back in time . . .
One for each month. May hit another one 3 weeks later.
I told you people, this guy almost gave a heart attack, but when the ball went into the rim, that was so sweet
march 12 sounds like a date.
I don't know why all the comments about Mason's "leaning" 3-pointer.. I think its something he's practiced and is comfortable with.. he does appear to have good body control.. the shot against the lakers was a lot more awkward than this one vs the Celtics.. he had the ball in his hands from the inbound play and had the rhythm coming off the Duncan pick.
Didn't he miss one under a minute in Boston. just rattled out? I'd say his "bounceback" is just fine...
I'm sorry, but to me this is just silly. There was life for the man before the Spurs.
"Big Shot Rog"
Didn't he miss one under a minute in Boston. just rattled out? I'd say his "bounceback" is just fine...
I think and I'm sure you understand cause your one of the best posters here. That he wants him to miss a buzzer beater shot, so he can learn to get over it. I believe is what he meant.
I'm sure everyone understood and I'm just wasting bandwidth with this.
I'm sure he's missed plenty buzzer beaters. This guy is an NBA verteran. Come on
Uh, the guy just last year started to get regular minutes.I'm sure he's missed plenty buzzer beaters. This guy is an NBA verteran. Come on
Go reread his bio again.
What does that have to do with seeing how he would bounce back after missing a game winner?
Roger Mason booty calls the pressure and tells her to bring a friend.
RMJ also has been quoted as saying that when he played with Arenas or Butler, neither one of them would ever give up the game winning shot.I'm sure he's missed plenty buzzer beaters. This guy is an NBA verteran. Come on
Roger may have shot a few by cir stance, but I'd venture to say he's seen about just as many game winning opportunities in his short time as a Spur as he has in the rest of his budding career. And, for the first time, is free to showcase this ability.
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