Saturday, March 3rd, 2012 at 12:41 pm  |  79 responses

Video: LeBron Passes to Haslem at the Buzzer

Should he have taken the final shot?

Following Devin Harris’ sick go-ahead floater, LeBron James passed up the final shot, and the Heat had their nine-game winning streak snapped.

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  • Matt Park

    Are y’all serious??? Haslem has made a living on those shots and Lebron had 3 seconds left. All that he could have gotten was a contest leaner or fadeaway. This was the right play. If the Spurs had run this play with Tony Parker or Manu along with Tim Duncan and TD missed the shot, everyone would still be saying it was a good play. The fact that Lebron was “hot” in the 4th quarter doesn’t matter. A bad shot is a bad shot and the chances were that Haslem was going to make that shot more often than not considering how wide open he was.

  • http://guyism.com/sports/michael-jordan-selling-chicago-area-home-for-29-million-dollars.html Caboose

    ^So let’s see here…you just compared Tim Duncan to Udonis Haslem, Tony Parker to LeBron James, and an on-fire player to a cold one. I’d pick apart your argument but it would be too easy.

  • Matt Park

    Oh, and I really dislike the Utah broadcasters (can’t think of the word right now…). They were blatantly hating on the Heat all game long, esp. Lebron. I mean, c’mon. Where’s the respect? I understand cheering for your team but where is the sportsmanship? “Lebron couldn’t get it done” “That was a no-call for Kanter” and one play later a similar situation happens to Haslem “That should not have been called”… Jesus. I have to love the fans, though.

  • Matt Park

    Tim Duncan shot 43% from the mid-range last year (on 2.9 shots) as well as 48% this year (on 4.3 shots) and has not shot better than 43% before this year. Haslem has shot 45% or better on the mid-range (on 4 shots a game) three times since ’07 and is shooting 40% this year (on 2.9 shots). They are rather similar number-wise and Haslem was wide-open on this play.

    If you don’t like TP to Lebron, then how about Manu to Lebron? TP and Manu are both much better from mid-range compared to Lebron and that would have been the shot that they would have been forced to take (all three of them). Alright, have Manu or whoever be hot like LBJ.

    Now what?

  • http://guyism.com/sports/michael-jordan-selling-chicago-area-home-for-29-million-dollars.html Caboose

    Now I still say that LeBron should take that shot. How many game winners/tying shots has Haslem hit? Hint: it’s less than one. How about Duncan? It’s a bit more than that. When it comes to that play, LeBron basically had the chance to shoot a step back midrange that he had already taken and made twice in the past 5 minutes. Whereas, Haslem had the chance to shoot a mid range that he hadn’t shot in the entire game. I’m sorry, but in my mind, the clutch play should come down to who has the hot hand and has confidence to hit it. LeBron was beasting. I’ll have the best player in the league who is on fire shoot a contested(?) mid range EVERY time over a cold player. I’ll also ignore the fact that you rate Manu’s midrange shot as better than LeBron’s right now.

  • http://slamonline house

    People need to chill, w/o Lebron’s play the game would have been a no-contest. Lebron’s play made it a contest and it takes more than one person to win a game or can all of the HOF couch coaches around here not grasp that. It was a good pass for an uncontested shot that didn’t drop. No more no less.

  • Sam LT1-Caprice

    The biggest Kobe fan in Iowa for the past 10 years says good choice LeBron, definitely the right decision.

  • IAMORANGE4EVER

    YOU CLOSE OR YOU HIT THE BRICKS. HIT THE BRICKS BRON BRON!

  • IAMORANGE4EVER

    @LaKid I am going to check out your blog.

  • Jose

    Haslem probably should have swung it to chalmers. I mean, you get the double, you pass to the open man, haslem could have probably managed a little fake before a pass to mario at the 3.

  • Spetsnaz

    For those experts who are saying “the best players dont pass in that situation” might want to check out Jordan being “scared” and passing it to Kerr and Paxson for game winning shots in the finals. If lebron jacked up a contested jumper over a double team everyone would be complaining saying he’s trying to prove a point. Bottom line he passed to an open team mate who has made a career of hitting that shot….The right play was made and it was bad luck that he Haslem missed it.

  • http://Slamonline Jimbo

    But the point is that LeBron was shooting it the whole fourth quarter. I do not recall Haslem shooting it at all. In that scenario, LeBron who was on fire should take the shot as he still had time to. You can’t ask a guy who hasn’t shot all game to shoot the game winner and make it.

  • furiousfunkfanatic

    I remember, how MJ passed the ball to Steve Kerr in exactly the same situtation. Kerr made the shot, Haslem missed, that’s it.

    After the game MJ said, that he would always pass the ball to Steve Kerr for the last shot, if it were the better decision.

  • jags

    im not a lebron fan, but what if LeBron wins a Championship, im thinking what will his critics/haters say or say next. haha!

  • jags

    great players make great decisions, pssing to Open teammates when the game is on line. MJ to Kerr, Kobe to Fisher, Lebron to Haslem/etc. The 1st 2 great players were just lucky that their teammate made the shot. Sorry for LBJ that Haslem didnt made the shot. Overall, LBJ played great. Leading again a comeback.. but came short.

  • http://slamonline dan

    look up Fernando Torres……..

  • https://twitter.com/BeezKneezy LA Huey

    I’m going to blame LeBron for putting them back in the game. Wade deserves credit for fouling a jump shooter in a critical moment. And the Heat’s bigs deserve credit for allowing Utah to grab a ridiculous number of offensive rebounds.

  • http://slamonline Jimbo

    @dan, this is a basketball magazine not soccer….

  • http://slamonline dan

    @jimbo

    Fernando Torres is an outrageously talented player who has lost confidence.
    It is said he chokes in pressure situations and needs the help of a sports psychologist to unlock this problem. should be simple to solve – is James the kind of individual to admit he could use a bit of help though?………….

  • http://www.t-mac.com/tmac/index unf*ckwitable

    Whether its his fault or not dude just keeps on coming up short in game winning situations.

  • http://slamonline Jimbo

    @dan Fernando Torres WAS an outrageously talented player. After the world cup he just stuck for liverpool and chelsea. LeBron is a consistently great player who should not shy away from these moments. At any other time during the game that is a great pass. With the game on the line you shoot it no matter what. This is the difference between lebron and mj and kobe. MJ and Kobe have that killer instinct and no sports psychologist is gonna help that.

  • http://slamonline Jimbo

    i meant stunk in the second sentence

  • Dan

    i really dont like bron for how he went to miami and how cheap he acted off the court during the last finals.

    but come on, in this game he just took the right decision. haslem had a good look at the basket and was open. there is no reason for him to shoot by himself. b4 that situation james brought his team back with clutch shooting in the final minutes. even jordan passed on some last second shots. without kerr, grant oder paxson he wouldnt have 6 rings today.

  • Paul H

    I really do not know how to feel about this play. On one hand “hero” ball Is incredibly overrated and on balance Is conductive to good fourth quarter offense, but there Is still something troubling about Lebrons reluctance to take that shot. It’s still the only reason I have not fully bought into the heat juggernaut.

  • Paul H

    *Is not conductive

  • http://slamonline Jimbo

    I agree with Paul… LeBron was taking those shots all of the fourth, so why not take one more? He lacks that instinct that Kobe, MJ and other greats had.

  • http://slamonline dan

    Jimbo – the only problem with Torress is he doesn’t want to take the shot – (he is otherwise good) maybe due to overriding fear of missing , it seems JBJ has a similar problem in the dying seconds – you get me

  • http://slamonline.com Allenp

    I see what you did there Huey.

  • likeucare

    7 turnovers, 4 missed free throws in 8 attempts passes on last shot. There’s your NCIS Miami apolgists. Lefraud at his finest.

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