When is Beane Ball going to hit the NBA?
Tonight the sportscasters were saying, "Despite the fact the Carmelo Anthony has missed 14 of his last 15 shots in the final minute [I think that was the stat, but it was definitely 1-15 in clutch situations], coach Mike Woodson says, 'There is no one who you would rather have take those clutch shots than last years NBA scoring champion.'"
Well, yes, if you had to designate one person on your team who is always going to take shots at the end of the game, then Carmelo Anthony wouldn't be a bad choice. But what about playing the way you do the rest of the game, where the other team doesn't know who is going to take each shot? What would your team's shooting percentage be if every single time down the court you told the other team which player would shoot the ball? Well, maybe about .067%, like Anthony's apparently has been at the end of games?
I believe that ever since Scottie Pippen refused to go back on the court when Phil Jackson called the final play for someone else, NBA coaches have been terrified that if they do anything but call play for their star, he will quit on them.
And then there is some sort of "hog bias": despite the fact that Kobe Bryant shoots 25% on game winning-or-tying shots, versus Lebron James's 50%, NBA players pick him over Lebron for taking the last shot. And Lebron gets knocked for often passing (to an open teammate) in those situations. Um, isn't it kind of obvious: Kobe shoots 25% in such situations because every single person in the arena knows he will take the shot no matter what and will never pass, so the defense can totally focus on him, while Lebron's willingness to share the ball with teammates leaves the defense guessing. Lebron's approach is obviously far superior, and yet he gets knocked for it, while Kobe is seen as a "mensch" because he is such an egomaniac.
Well, yes, if you had to designate one person on your team who is always going to take shots at the end of the game, then Carmelo Anthony wouldn't be a bad choice. But what about playing the way you do the rest of the game, where the other team doesn't know who is going to take each shot? What would your team's shooting percentage be if every single time down the court you told the other team which player would shoot the ball? Well, maybe about .067%, like Anthony's apparently has been at the end of games?
I believe that ever since Scottie Pippen refused to go back on the court when Phil Jackson called the final play for someone else, NBA coaches have been terrified that if they do anything but call play for their star, he will quit on them.
And then there is some sort of "hog bias": despite the fact that Kobe Bryant shoots 25% on game winning-or-tying shots, versus Lebron James's 50%, NBA players pick him over Lebron for taking the last shot. And Lebron gets knocked for often passing (to an open teammate) in those situations. Um, isn't it kind of obvious: Kobe shoots 25% in such situations because every single person in the arena knows he will take the shot no matter what and will never pass, so the defense can totally focus on him, while Lebron's willingness to share the ball with teammates leaves the defense guessing. Lebron's approach is obviously far superior, and yet he gets knocked for it, while Kobe is seen as a "mensch" because he is such an egomaniac.
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