Last year, in the weeks leading up to the NBA season, I ranked the League’s go-to guys. Using the rationale that even the most balanced team has one identifiable if-all-else-fails leader that they look to in crunch time (see Team USA and Kevin Durant), I picked one player per squad for a final list of 30. Again, ONE PLAYER PER TEAM. Read More »

The cold part is that Vince Carter really is more clutch than a lot of people realize. But when your biggest crunch-time hiccups take place on the biggest stages, your reputation will say otherwise. And Vince has no choice but to eat a big bowl of “choker” criticism after last night … In the first half of Magic/Celtics Game 2, Vince could barely get on the court after J.J. Redick came in and started busting jumpers, but in the fourth quarter he started to make up for it. Vince (16 pts, 3 stls) hit a pull-up from the elbow to cut Boston’s lead to two with about five minutes left, then drained the go-ahead J a few possessions later. Kevin Garnett put the Celtics back on top with a turnaround, and with 30 seconds left, Orlando was down three with Vince at the line. Read More »

Kobe Bryant vs. Dwyane Wade is the NBA’s answer to Peyton Manning vs. Tom Brady. While not necessarily a matchup of the two best players in the sport (that’s where LeBron comes into the argument), rather Kobe and D-Wade represent #1 and #1A in terms of who you’d want with the ball in their hands when everything is on the line in crunch time. What stood out from last night’s clash of the titans was D-Wade uncharacteristically choking at the free throw line at the worst time, and Kobe nailing a game-winner that — as far as the quality of the shot — was probably the worst dagger he’s ever attempted … Read More »