Thursday, May 19th, 2011 at 9:00 am  |  72 responses

LeBron James Comes Up Clutch Once Again


Hey, remember when LeBron couldn’t close out games? Seems like years ago that this was considered even remotely true. After his Playoff heroics this season, that’s no longer the case. From ESPN: “Erik Spoelstra issued the order to LeBron James during every timeout in the fourth quarter, even if it was truly more of a plea. ‘We cannot have you fatigued,’ the Heat coach yelled to James over the ear-rattling din at the United Center. ‘For us to have a chance to win, you cannot afford to get tired.’ Dwyane Wade’s résumé might still be deeper, but the Miami Heat’s playoff run is starting to turn into James’ clutch coming-out party. It happened twice in the Heat’s takedown of the Boston Celtics in the previous round as James delivered a couple of the most impressive pressure performances of his career. It happened again Wednesday, this time in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals in what felt like a must-win game against the Chicago Bulls. James didn’t get tired; he got stronger. And now the Heat are headed to Florida with home-court advantage after an 85-75 victory to even the series at 1. ‘Someone had to do something,’ James said. ‘And I knew the ball was going to be in my hands.’ This was not the case just a few weeks ago. After James went through some midseason trauma with the inability to convert clutch baskets in big games — he failed twice against the Bulls, as a matter of fact — the Heat quietly and clearly turned the late-game keys over to the more even-keeled Wade. It worked, too. James accepted his role as the second option, and the Heat became a more poised team in close games. This series is a long way from decided and Wade might be called back to the fore, but right now the pendulum has swung back to James as the Heat’s playmaker in the clutch. And despite failures in the past that started to dog his legacy, James is answering the bell. This time it was three stomach-twisting jumpers right into the teeth of the Bulls’ famously gritty defense with the game in the balance. Combined with several individual defensive stops that were part of a team-wide clinic, James added another chapter of fourth-quarter dominance to this postseason. He scored nine of his 29 points in the game’s final six minutes, turning a bloody stalemate into an unexpected landslide that changed the momentum of the series. ‘I work on this every day,’ James said. ‘It pays off in moments like this.’”

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  • http://slamonline.com 1982

    “its the fact that he outscored Chicago by himself over the last 4 minutes, and Miami won that has everyone talking about how he closed out the Bulls.” That’s what closing out a team means. Take it or leave it, but he did it and now people are talking. If Dirk goes 3-17 tonight, then people will probably stop saying he’s the best player in the Playoffs, that he’s completely upgraded his game since the last Finals appearance, and etc. But it wouldn’t mean he didn’t Dirkstroy the Thunder in game one, or the Lakers in Round 2. And true, Defense wins games, so if it helps, then fine Lebron didn’t come out in superhero fashion to save the city of Miami. But he spent the last 4 minutes of the game making sure they’d win, which in essence, is closing out a game. No superlatives, no super powers, just closing out the game by doing what his team needed, even if it was an unimpressive 3, a steal, a dunk, an another 18 footer.

  • Tom P

    and everyone get real the only reason anyone is hating on LBJ to begin with (other than his so called child like personality) is the fact that the three amigos basically took control of their destinies from the owners and have empowered all players in the nba as a result, if i was an owner I would hate him too! Its funny cause most dont even realize this is why they hate him..

  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    I realize LeBron was the catalyst, but he didn’t “close out the Bulls” – Miami did, and LeBron did the scoring. To give the credit for the Heat closing out the Bulls to LeBron is ignoring what the Heat did on defense, and also ignoring the fact that LeBron barely put up even an average 4th quarter. If you want to consider what happened a result of LeBron being great fine by me, but I question your intelligence or the strength of your character. Especially if your one of those people that comes on here judging players differently after every game. LeBron was great yesterday, he’s great in just about every game, just because Chicago struggled to score for the whole 4th quarter doesn’t make what LeBron did special. His 10 straight to comeback from 5 down against Boston was special. The 29 of 30 & 26 straight against Detroit in (gasp) 2007 was special. His 9 in 4 minutes against a Chicago team that scored a whopping 10 points in the whole 4th quarter? won’t be talked about again, ever.

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

    A single player averaging 9 pts in the 4th qtr is considered great in this league. To score that much in the span of the last 4:30 of a game where both defenses were so suffocating that nobody else managed to score? I’d call it a clutch performance.

  • Tom P

    Lebron definately clutch performance, if the heat get passed the bulls i dont see them losing rings for the next six years!

  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    9 points in 4 minutes is essentially a shot a minute. Its not that impressive when every other possession (at minimum) runs through you, especially when your the best player on earth. Look LeBron should/does (i can’t find the stat) average more then 9 points per 4th quarter in the playoffs, so his scoring whatever he did yesterday was nothing more then an average offensive performance, during one of the best defensive games of all time. So if your saying the fact that he was average in such a great defensive game is clutch, then I am wrong and concede. But this will never be mentioned as one of his most clutch performances, and it shouldn’t.

  • http://slamonline.com 1982

    I agree it’s not his most clutch, and also that in the grand scheme of this year’s playoffs, it doesn’t rank that high. It’ll probably only get brought up again if they win the whole thing, on their limited edition DVD no less. But even with that, helping your team win the game isn’t about points per minute or how well you shoot %-wise or if you beat the buzzer. It’s simply about helping your team win. If Tim Duncan hit a wide open 15-footer off the glass to win a game where the final score was 19 to 18, he’s still playing clutch basketball, even if the way he did it was about as entertaining as watching paint dry and the game itself was horrible. I bet you Rose and Co would have given anything to be as un-clutch as Lebron last night, as long as they came away with the W.

  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    I’m not saying he wasn’t important or the catalyst to the victory. But “LeBron comes up clutch again” and then go onto say this “Miami Heat’s playoff run is starting to turn into James’ clutch coming-out party. It happened twice in the Heat’s takedown of the Boston Celtics in the previous round as James delivered a couple of the most impressive pressure performances of his career. It happened again Wednesday, this time in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals in what felt like a must-win game against the Chicago Bulls. James didn’t get tired; he got stronger” – really? This is his clutch coming out party? 9 points in a 14 point 4th quarter? If a Michael Jordan led team only scored 14 points in the 4th Quarter MJ would have likely killed his entire team and maybe himself. lol my issue is not with LeBron or how clearly great he is, its with the over-exaggerating. But me and eboy had this conversation already, so I understand it now. I just don’t at all like it, or the defense of it.

  • http://.com Cheema

    nbk is just a pure hater. lmao

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

    @nbk, though I wouldn’t rank it in the top 5 of LBJ’s best playoff performances, I think it was certainly clutch. Just like that game-winner Kobe dropped on the Kings last year isn’t something I’d bother mentioning to my grandkids, it’s still a clutch moment.

  • http://Slamonline.com nbk

    9 points in 4 minutes is not a game winner. This is absurd. 9 points in 4 minutes in the 4th quarter by a player has probably happened around 10 times, in the postseason in this year alone.. The only reason this is even significant is because of the level of defense. Infact if anything he closed the game out by defending Rose and making a couple timely shots. Clutch? Yes. Does it stand outamong clutch performances in his career? Not in my opinion. Does it stand out enough to say he has “made a statement?” lol definitely not, unless by statement you mean he’s done something he’s always occasionally (just like now) done in the postseason

  • http://Slamonline.com nbk

    And if you haven’t noticed, I’m not surprised by how the game turned ou. Or that LeBron scored the majority of the points again. If anything, I’m the opposite of a hater. If LeBron’s performance last night was “clutch” like it could have been considering the Bulls struggles,Wade and LeBron could have been comfortably seated the last 2-3 minutes. Bottom line, no matter how good the defense is, when you have the best player on earth (even though they have the best two but whatever) you should never lose to a team that only puts up 10 points in a quarter. Ever. If Miami lost and Chicago put up >15 in the 4th, this would be a Miami joked comment section. Huh?

  • http://www.facebook.com/joe.l.brewer3 BlackPhantom

    I’m a huge Kobe fan….and I refuse to hate on Lebron. He’s really starting to step in the clutch. I mean REALLY starting to kill.

  • http://nicekicks.com meloman2.0

    I wouldnt necessarily call what hes been doing clutch…. clutch is hiting shots to win games… shots that, if they miss, u lose. Lebrons scoring shots with full minutes left in the game

  • http://slamonline.com Michael

    meloman2.0 STFU

  • http://www.facebook.com/joe.l.brewer3 BlackPhantom

    There are different types of clutch meloman 2.0, there’s the “buzzer-beater” clutch(which Kobe & Melo is/was/will always be famous for), the defensive clutch(can’t think of an example off the top maybe Noah against Pierce in ’09 or T.Prince against Reggie in ’04), and the “killer clutch”(taking a game over when your team most needs it.) Lebron has shown the “killer” clutch twice this post-season, and also back in ’07 against the Pistons. Kobe has done that most notably against the Raptors in ’06 when he scored 81 in one game (or 55 points in one half).

  • http://www.facebook.com/joe.l.brewer3 BlackPhantom

    *Clutch is the ability to perform with the game on the line, those are the types of clutch(forgive me if i missed one)

  • http://slamonline.com everything

    “i spoil (nbk) with my play”

  • giogolo

    IS IT JUST ME OR THAT WAS A NON-CALL ON DENG BY BIBBY ON THE BREAK THAT ACTUALLY GAVE A BOOST TO THE MOMENTUM BY BRON AND THE GAME.

  • kev

    it’s nonsense to judge wether or not a player is clutch by if they hit a shot at the buzzer(which Lebron happens to have done many times) There are so many more clutch plays that determine the outcome of a game other than a final desperation heave. Haters of Lebron will always find another reason not to like him even after he starts winning rings. Lets not forget his 40 plus point duel with paul pierce in game 7, 25 sraight against the pistons, 3 point buzzer beater to win the game against miami, hard to the hole against the wizards at the buzzer for the win, taking the worst team ever to reach the finals, clutch play against the celtics once again this year!!!! the list goes on and on. If you dont like him as a player fine, but lets stop fooling ourselves. He is the best in the game!

  • logues

    someone please give me their definition of clutch

  • ohgeefreeks310

    where does kobe stand on the clutch?

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