» February 9, 2009 7:15 PM | By Brandon Hoffman
- Were the Cavaliers the latest victims of Phil Jackson’s mind games? I’m not convinced that Jackson is able to manipulate calls by tweaking officials through the media. Jackson claimed that LeBron James gets “away with murder on his homecourt” before the Lakers played in Cleveland on Sunday. Aside from a loose ball foul assessed to Anderson Varajao late in LA’s 101-91 victory over the Cavaliers, I thought the game was well officiated. The Cavaliers attempted three more free throws than LA, but were accessed five more fouls. Ken Berger of CBSSports.com offers this advice to the Cavaliers: “If the Cavs are going to have a chance, their players should take this piece of advice: Don’t try to beat Jackson at his own game. Let their coach handle it. Ask their coach to handle it. If the Cavs have the best player (as they believe they do), and have surrounded him with All-Star talent despite opinions to the contrary (as they believe is the case), then go out and compete on the merits. You don’t bet against the house. You don’t try to go shot-for-shot with Kobe (or with John Daly, if you’re in a bar). You don’t tell your wife she looks fat. And above all, you don’t try to beat Jackson at his own game. We’ll never know if LeBron’s 5-for-20 shooting performance Sunday — not to mention 4-for-8 at the line — was induced by Jackson’s mind games. But it sure looked to me at crucial points in the game that the Cavs thought they were competing against the referees instead of the Lakers.” For a “no excuses team,” the Cavaliers sure complain a lot. James has racked up 7 technicals this season. Rasheed Wallace leads the league with 14.
- David West will be suspended one game for this flagrant foul on Mike Miller. West appeared to be miffed about a no call on the offensive end and retaliated by hitting Miller in the shoulder/face as Miller drove to the basket. I think the NBA was far too lenient on this one. I would have agreed with anything up to 5 games.
- Valley of the Suns: “The real problem here isn’t Amare, the losing record in January, or the current eighth place position the Suns hold. The problem is a lack of patience on the part of a management group that seems more concerned with dollar signs than whether this team makes it to the NBA Finals. This situation will not end with shipping out one of the great stars of our game in Stoudemire just as it didn’t end with sending a disgruntled Shawn Marion to Miami last year. At some point, or in my humblest of opinions, NOW would be as good a time as ever for Steve Kerr and Robert Sarver to sit down, shut up, and let this team (the one you have continued to assemble and reassemble) simply play.”
- Knicks Coach Mike D’Antoni doesn’t agree with Jeff Van Gundy’s criticism of David Lee. Van Gundy criticized Lee’s statement that losses to the Lakers, Cavaliers and Celtics comprised the “the best 0-3 week” he’s had as a member of the Knicks. I like Van Gundy’s commentary, but his criticism of Lee was uncalled for. The Knicks lost by an average of 8 points to LA, Cleveland and Boston. The Knicks kept those games competitive and after three plus seasons as the laughingstock of the NBA, that’s a victory in itself. I guess Van Gundy forgot about New York’s 104-59 loss to the Celtics last season.
Category: Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers, New Orleans Hornets, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, Points in the Paint, San Antonio Spurs
Tags: Amare Stoudemire, Carmelo Anthony, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, David Lee, David West, Jeff Van Gundy, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers, Michael Jordan, Mike Brown, Mike D'Antoni, Mike Miller, NBA Teams, New Orleans Hornets, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Phil Jackson, Phoenix Suns, Points in the Paint, San Antonio Spurs
Discuss in Forum
February 10th, 2009 at 2:37 am
They have a “Superclutch” stat, which you can feel free to call regular “clutch” – but you will probably want to dismiss it as well since LeBron bests Kobe again.
It’s 2 minutes or less neither team ahead by more than 3 points.
February 10th, 2009 at 1:21 pm
I didn’t dismiss anything.
February 10th, 2009 at 1:28 pm
“Let’s use LeBron James as an example since James led the NBA in Production per 48 Minutes of Clutch Time last season. You’re telling me if LeBron James hits a jumper with 4:50 left in the game and the Cavs down 5 — that’s a “clutch” play? I don’t think so. Performing in the clutch is about succeeding under pressure. Where’s the pressure in that scenario? There’s too much time left in the game.”
What does this mean?
February 10th, 2009 at 1:40 pm
I don’t agree with 82games’ definition of clutch time. Five minutes is an eternity in the NBA. A made field goal to put your team up 7 or bring your team within 3 with 4:30 to go isn’t clutch to me.
That’s not a knock against LeBron James. The only reason I used LeBron as an example is because he led the league in Production per 48 Minutes of Clutch Time last season.
February 10th, 2009 at 3:09 pm
So how would you objectively define “clutch” time?
February 10th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
Clutch what is it exactly and specifically? Is it hitting a shot with 5 mins to go or is it draining a three with the enemies best deffender in your face, with just seconds to go and no other options? Clutch will mean alot of things to alot of people. Fans of Kobe, fans of James, and fans of basketball will all see clutch differently. But how important is clutch in the grand scheme of things? How often are teams finding themselves in the “clutch”? When these players find themselves in the clutch, what are the circumstances that lead up to this moment in time? All these need to be answered before we go screaming “oh this player is clutch!” Jordan was clutch against the Utah Jazz after the Refs refused to call him for a foul. The Bulls won the game and series. Kobe was clutch when he hit the game winner against Detroit with a tic left on the clock but the Lakers still lost the series. Lebron single handedly beat the Pistons to drag his team into the finals only to get swep by Duncan and the Spurs. In each instance these players hit important “clutch shots” but the outcome was different for all except Jordan. All in all the whole discussion of Clutch seems pointless. Are they winning or losing? Kobe is winning. Jordan has won. Lebron is trying to win.
February 10th, 2009 at 4:53 pm
Tsunami:
I don’t have a problem with 82games’ “super clutch” stats.
Here’s how I would define clutch time:
4th quarter or overtime, less than 3 minutes left, neither team ahead by more than 5 points.
I think 3 minutes is perfect. I would agree with a margin up to 7 points since that makes it a 3-possession game.
February 10th, 2009 at 5:11 pm
There are varying degrees of “clutch.”
I don’t think 82games’ data should be used as conclusive evidence that one player is more clutch than another. LeBron has hit more game-winners than anyone over the past 6 seasons. But we don’t have “clutch” data beyond the 2003-04 season. Carmelo Anthony has the best clutch shooting percentage, but he’s never hit a game-winner in the playoffs.
Don’t me wrong, I value this kind of data. But it’s still inconclusive.