Should the star take the last shot?

For years, Kobe Bryant has demanded the ball at the end of close games. He’s one of the greatest players of all time, but does that mean he should take every “clutch” shot? Many fans (and coaches) think that the star player on their team should take the potential game tying/winning shot. However, an article written by Henry Abbott on ESPN states why the star should not be taking the final shots all the time.

Honestly, I don’t like to see isolation plays during crunch time. These plays have a very poor efficiency in clutch situations (the article goes into great detail about that efficiency for different plays). I like to see good team basketball, with the ball moving around like it would for any other moment in the game. I think pick n’ rolls and basic spot-up plays are the best for crunch time-situations.

But go ahead: read the article and decide for yourself==>http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/7649571/nba-kobe-bryant-not-money-think-espn-magazine

Question: Should your star take every crunch time shot?

Heat Beat Bulls in OT; Take 3-1 Series Lead

As I said in my previous post, Game 4 was a must-win game for the Chicago Bulls. The reason: if they didn’t win, they’d fall into a 3-1 ditch and into the hands of the Miami Heat. Looks like we jinxed it after all….

Last night, it seemed like the Heat made all the hustle plays; all the plays that don’t show up on the stat sheet. These plays include diving for loose balls, hustling on defense, and setting good screens on offense. You may not think these

The Heat look to Close Out the Series Tommrow Night against the Bulls

plays make a difference, but they make a big difference in the outcome of the game. Because, lets face it, most teams have around the same “level” of talent. What really sets them apart is their hustle and their mentality. If they always hustle, give 110%, and are mentally tough, they will probably win most games. Thats why the Lakers and Celtics win most games; although they have more talent, what really sets them apart is their mental toughness. Have you ever seen Kobe Bryant in the 4th quarter, with less then 4:00 min left? He is lights out when the game is on the line. This is thanks to his mental attitude that says, “I can hit this shot, and I don’t give a crap what everyone else think.” Although he might hog the ball a bit, most of the times its for a good reason: he’s clutch.

Getting back to the Bulls/Heat series: the Bulls lost last night. This put them in a deep hole, probably too deep to climb out of. Hopefully MVP Derrick Rose can lead his team to some back-to-back wins so they can force a Game 7. That would be really exciting for me considering I’m a Bulls fan. Game 5 is scheduled for Thursday at 8:30 pm ET.

For more on this story, go to: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2011/columns/story?columnist=adande_ja&page=heathustle-110525

Heat Show Some Fight in Game 2

The game of basketball is a team sport. To win the game, you must play as a team. This means pass the ball a lot, don’t be selfish, set good screens for teammates, and help them in any way you can. This doesn’t mean take 40 shots in a game (*cough* Kobe Bryant). A

LeBron and Co. Prevailed Over the Bulls Wednesday, 85-75. Game 3 Is Scheduled for Sunday Night at American Airlines Arena

good indicator for determining if you’re a team player is the number of assists you rack up during a game. However, this can be misleading because a point guard could have 10 assists in a game, but also take 30 shots.  In Sundays Game 1 against the Bulls, the Heat really had a tough time getting their offense going. So, LeBron and Wade started running many isolation plays, which forced them to put up tough shots 1 on 1. Both those guys said they’d play better in Game 2. They made a promise to their fans, and they weren’t about to let them down now, especially in the playoffs. Last night in Game 2 at the United Center, they kept their promise. LeBron scored 29 points while grabbing 10 rebounds and picking up 5 assists. This performance was much better than his Game 1 performance when he only scored 15. Dwayne Wade scored 24 points, grabbed 9 rebounds, and shot 8-10 from the charity stripe. Both of these great performances led to the Game 2 victory over the Bulls, 85-75. That’s a pretty low scoring game, don’t you think? Derrick Rose was only able to score 21 while dishing 8 assists. Not a bad game, but I think if they didn’t turn the ball over as much as they did, they would have definitely been able to come back and win. What do you think?