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where the is Manu on this list???!?!?!?! everyone knows he's like the clutchiest clutch player in the history of clutchness!
http://offthedribble.blogs.nytimes.c...ers/#more-8099
January 7, 2011, 2:33 PM
Identifying the N.B.A.’s Top Clutch Players
By LYNN ZINSER
Clutch performance in professional basketball has its own distinct mythology. The meaning of every action – each shot, foregone shot, pass and foregone pass – is dissected and analyzed to a ludicrous degree, primarily in an effort to better understand the stuff of which N.B.A. players are made. Does a certain star have “nerves of steel” or a “killer instinct?” Are they soft? Weak-minded? Descriptions such as these are thrown around disguised as absolutes, even though clutch play is often hopelessly tainted by perception bias. All it takes is one big shot to create a legend. Once a player establishes a reputation as a clutch scorer, it typically follows him to his grave, regardless of what that pesky legitimate evidence indicates.
So let’s clear the air, shall we? Here are the league’s top clutch players this season:
*Note: for the purposes of this exercise, we’ll be using the commonly used definition of clutch (and corresponding statistical data) as provided by 82games.com: “clutch” describes situations in the fourth quarter or in overtime with less than five minutes remaining and neither team ahead by more than five points.
The Cream of the Crop
Dallas’s Nowitzski is who you want shooting the ball with a game on the line.
Dirk Nowitzki: Defending Nowitzki is a brutal challenge throughout any game, but it is particularly vexing as end of the game nears. Being 7-feet gives Nowitzki an indisputable advantage, and the high release point on his shot does defenders no favors. Whether in isolation at the elbow, going to work in the post, or coming off a baseline screen, Nowitzki is essentially unstoppable; he may be challenged and does -– on occasion -– miss, but his shot is too inaccessible to defenders for it to be fully thwarted.
Additionally, Nowitzki’s masterful footwork and assortment of fakes earn him trips to the line frequently, and force defenders to think twice before committing to challenging Nowitzki’s shot too strongly.
It’s not enough that Nowitzki is having one of the most efficient seasons of his career; he had to rub it in by being as brutally effective in the clutch as ever. Nowitzki is second in the league in points per minute in the clutch, and has made a fantastic 60 percent of his clutch field goals. Throw in an excellent clutch rebounding (13.9 per 48 minutes), unexpectedly solid assist numbers (5.1 per 48), and the best clutch plus/minus in the N.B.A., and Nowitzki is a no-brainer to top the list.
Russell Westbrook: Kevin Durant may have the highest profile on the Thunder, but Westbrook has trumped his superstar teammate in most facets of clutch production. Westbrook’s incredible burst speed enables him to get to the rim consistently, where he finishes at an impressive rate considering how heavily contested his layups, dunks, and runners typically are. Plus, the evolution of Westbrook’s pull-up game has given him an excellent intermediate weapon. The instant transition from full-speed explosion toward the basket off the dribble into vertical leap sometimes leaves Westbrook off balance, but he’s clearly worked hard to improve his accuracy on those attempts.
Westbrook’s 46.8 percent shooting mark on clutch field goals is, like Nowitzki, an improvement on his season field-goal percentage, an especially impressive achievement when considering that Westbrook takes about as many shots per clutch minute as any player in the league. He’s obviously a productive clutch scorer as a result (he ranks fourth in per-minute clutch scoring), but a few other aspects of his statistical performance help his line pop: Westbrook is that efficient despite only having 10 percent of his clutch field goals assisted, he grabs an amazing 10.4 rebounds per 48 clutch minutes, and his turnovers in the clutch are impressively low (2.4 per 48 minutes).
Amar’e Stoudemire: After two years of middling clutch performance, Stoudemire has again climbed into the ranks of the league’s best late-game producers. Stoudemire’s scoring versatility serves him well; his tendency to shoot mid-range jumpers has led to a lower-than-expected free throw rate, but Stoudemire’s ability to face up has also opened up space for drives. Stoudemire is an impressive force when heading toward the basket, an absurd combination of quickness and power. Stoudemire is capable of either climbing over or driving around defenders, and that combination of skills grants him access to an incredible variety of finishes.
For the most part, Stoudemire’s clutch performance is congruent with his typical production. He’s a tremendously productive scorer (third in points per clutch minute), and quite efficient from the field (56 percent in clutch situations) despite what occasionally seems like iffy shot selection. Stoudemire’s rebounding is underwhelming (8.6 rebounds per 48 clutch minutes isn’t quite befitting a player of Stoudemire’s size, position, and athletic talents), but his sheer scoring prowess is too impressive to ignore.
Honorable Mention
Kobe Bryant: There isn’t a player in the league with a more daunting clutch profile, but Bryant’s late-game contributions are overstated. He’s been a very productive clutch player this season, but Bryant’s tendency to break the offense to take any shot that strikes his fancy has led to some disappointing efficiency marks. Bryant shoots just 38.5 percent from the field in clutch situations (a mark even more damaging because Kobe attempts the most shots per clutch minute in the N.B.A.), which when combined with his 5.3 turnovers per 48 minutes is inefficient enough to keep him off the proper list of finishers.
Plus, it’s worth noting: Bryant has a negative raw plus/minus in the clutch this season. He can make big shots, but Kobe can shoot his team out of games, too.
Tyrus Thomas: Which name on this list is not like the others? Thomas doesn’t create often for himself late in close games (83 percent of his field goals are assisted), but that hasn’t stopped him from averaging more points per clutch minute than every player in the N.B.A. save Bryant, Nowitzki, Stoudemire, and Westbrook while shooting 60 percent from the field. The real kicker for Thomas, though, is his non-scoring statistical value; the versatile forward has averaged 15.5 rebounds, 4.8 blocks, and 3.6 steals per 48 minutes of clutch time. No other player could claim the same, as Thomas’ all-around clutch excellence has put him in a unique class of his own.
Monta Ellis: Ellis’ biggest problems have been more a function of his impatience rather than a lack of control; he’s always been capable of creating quality looks for himself and his teammates, but his shot selection was poor prior to this season. Ellis seems to have turned a corner this season in that regard, and while he hasn’t revolutionized his playing style, he’s playing a more efficient overall game.
The same is true of his clutch performance. Ellis takes just 25.2 field goal attempts per 48 clutch minutes, almost 10 attempts fewer than Bryant. Ellis shoots a ton of free throws because of his speed in attacking the basket, and shoots a tidy 45.2 percent in the clutch to boot. Unfortunately, Ellis is trumped by the impressive collection of players on this list. There’s nothing wrong with his numbers. Everyone listed before him is just more productive, more efficient, more versatile, or some combination thereof.
Rob Mahoney is an obsessive student of professional basketball, dedicated to the minutiae, the overarching themes and everything in between. You can read more of his work at TheTwoManGame.com, HardwoodParoxysm.com and ProBasketballTalk.com.
although everyone should know that Rob Mahoney is a Mavs fan, so.......yeah
ps mono, that ricky gervais show is pretty funny!
82games.com isn't a Mavs fan, I don't think. I'll send them a fax and ask.although everyone should know that Rob Mahoney is a Mavs fan, so.......yeah
You know as well as any of us that there's many many ways to skew numbers, so that if you were a Mavs fan, you could prove that Dirk is the most clutch player in the league, or perhaps if you're a bald Utah fan you could create an entire Power Ranking system dedicated to overrating them.
82games.com still has Manu being great in the clutch IIRC. Dirk definitely is worthy of topping the article but Kobe seems to be there just because he's a big name since his numbers in the clutch really suck compared to Dirk and Manu specifically %'s.
tbh, the article does say it's restricted to 'so far this season'. We're not even halfway through it.
It could very well be that Manu's clutchness in on the decline (
I also wonder why Earl Boykins is not part of the list???????
how is andrew bynum not on here
or tiago splitter
or gary neal
matt barnes
steve blake
george MJ hill
tbh, I went to high school with Rob Mahoney and he's a huge Mavs fan
Guy ing sucks. Last time I get excited for a soft ass 7 footer.
It is a small sample size of games and the Spurs have not been in as many situations as some other teams due to winning a lot of games comfortably - but over a 5 year period Manu was the most clutch player in the NBA and I cannot remember Dirk, Westbrooke, or Amare hitting game winners in several games like Manu has this year.
"Not only is Ginobili the new Batman, he's also Mr. Clutch. His shooting percentage isn't that great, but he's at the top of the list because he gets to the line often and makes his free throws when he does."
http://www.nba.com/2009/news/feature...ame/index.html
lol still using this list
lol Okur as the #2 most clutch player in the league
Except Saturday night after some drinks and fighting, eh?
A list from November 2009? Seriously? How is that relevant here?
pretty gay post, tbh
lol grey
Dirk is pretty clutch during the regular season
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