Poor use of clutch

I took a some heat a few weeks back for defending the notion of "clutchness" in sports. Well just so you don't think I'm some sap who believes in Ouija boards and voodoo curses--well, not all of them at least--I wanted to share an example that proves my belief in "clutchness" only goes so far.

For years we've heard how "clutch" Robert Horry is in playoff games, and tonight's Spurs-Nuggets game has proved no exception. Let's examine a few reasons why this perception is either a mirage, or at least wildly overblown:

1) As Bill Walton just informed me, Horry has never missed the playoffs in his 10+ year career, which means tons of opportunities to look good in playoff games. Not only that, just about every one of those teams went deep in the playoffs.

2) Horry's reputation is built--I believe--on four memorable game-winning/tying shots in the playoffs. I think two came with the Rockets during their championship runs, and the last two were with the Lakers. His teammates on those teams included the likes of Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler, Shaq, and Kobe. Therefore, in each of those situations, he was at best the third biggest worry for the opposing team.

3) In basketball, a missed jumper is a missed jumper. Tons of shots are missed in late-game situations, so the failures in "clutch" spots are hardly notable in the NBA. Buzzer beaters, however, are never forgotten.

As an example from tonight, Horry threw up a wild runner with about two minutes to go on a crucial Spurs possession, and all Bill Walton did was chuckle and say, "That's not Robert's game." When he hit a jumper with 40 seconds left, however, Mark Jones chimed in with a "Big Shot Bob!"

Here's the irony: a lot of playoff opponents have probably keyed too much on Horry during late-game situations in recent years because of his reputation. Horry's a nice player and a good shooter and all, but if a team starts worrying about this aging role player more than Tony Parker in a one-possession game, they're probably screwing themselves and deserve to lose.

Again, I don't doubt that Robert Horry remains focused and confident when the game is on the line--thereby making him "clutch"--but I also don't doubt that those memorable shots are too faithfully attributed to clutchness.