I didn't read the entire article, but anybody that has closely followed the NBA for years, knows that Kobe's reputation as a "clutch assassin" is one of the most overplayed NBA fabrications..to be fair, almost everything that is Kobe-related is overplayed and overhyped by the media and "NBA people"..
However, Kobe is CLEARLY clutch..Kobe's %s are higher than the league average, and while the numbers aren't impressive at first glance, the amount of shots he takes will generally lead to any player having a lower % than you would expect..by following all the stat databases and scouting tools that I have, Kobe's production actually does go up in clutch time..so while the reputation is certainly overplayed, Kobe is still a clutch player..
There have been numerous articles/research projects that examine "clutch time" in the NBA..the consistent trend in these articles has been that Kobe is clearly not the best clutch shooter in the NBA, he probably isn't even in the top 5..the other one is that Kobe forces up more shuts in clutch time than any other player, often ignoring the open teammate, which obviously isn't news to most people..
Also, while it's nice to have these numbers, the definition of "clutch" varies, and most of these articles have criteria that doesn't appeal to everybody..
The "clutch" argument is probably the most difficult and subjective arguments..nobody ever talks about clutch blocks or rebounds..rarely talked about is the clutch assist, unless it comes from a big-name player..a lot of people don't even believe in "clutch"(I'm not one of them, but there are many non-believers)..
To me, a clutch player is a player that makes the right decision, despite the high amount of pressure in said situation..a player that always wants to take the shot, even though he might miss it..that's all it means to me, in regards to "game winning shots", especially during the regular season..it's an overplayed argument IMO..all these "game winner" stats have different cir stances around them..
The only "clutch player" argument that I fully agree with is referring to a clutch player in regards to his performances in big playoff games..NBA Finals or the biggest series they're going to play in the playoffs..series-clinching games in any series', not just the NBA Finals..obviously game 7s..
Under that criteria, Kobe does qualify as one of the most clutch players in the NBA..he's a good playoff performer, particularly before the Finals..he has led a team to multiple NBA les..his performances during the NBA Finals, particularly his series' in 2008 and 2004, lower his value as a clutch player from a historic standpoint, his lack of a dominant NBA Finals(IMO) also works against him as well..
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