Quote:
Originally Posted by Findest2001
I don't disagree, but my Devil's Advocate question would be "how often are terrible, or even average players, considered clutch? It seems to me it's always players who have been all-stars who are called clutch. Granted I'm going from memory so I'm aware some mediocre players have come through in the clutch once or twice in the playoffs, but how often are people with a mediocre regular season career somehow elevated to "clutch" in the postseason?
|
Since we seem to have moved to include the NBA now... I can think of several players, actually... Robert Horry immediately springs to mind. Reggie Miller was never a top tier inner circle HOFer like LBJ or Kobe but he was always at the top of people’s “clutch” lists. Derrick Rose. Chris Paul. Damien Lillard also isn’t considered an upper tier player but most people call him one of the best in the league in terms of performing under pressure.
Again, basketball is a much different game. I’ve already spoken to specific skill sets that become more important when the game is on the line and in the playoffs. That’s not this “mental toughness” crap, it’s other skills. In many cases those skills are extremely useful in non pressure situations as well. in others (Robert Horry’s ability to release quickly from range) they kind of aren’t or at least weren’t at the time.