That clip has been shown at every Blazers home game as part of player introductions ever since. Probably will for some time now. But that’s just one way to get the job done.
“Brandon’s good at attacking the basket,” said head coach Nate McMillan when asked about Roy’s knack for late game heroics.
“To win and win big, you have to attack the paint.”
McMillan actually has the best of all worlds when he needs a big shot – even a last shot in some cases.
He can go in a number of directions. Obviously, Roy has proven effective in such situations as the two-time All-Star is nothing but a natural in the clutch. Travis Outlaw – once dubbed “Mr. Fourth Quarter” for his ability to get going late in games - easily has history on his side in similar situations (see last second game-winners at Memphis and Atlanta last season).
Yet somewhere in the shadow of Roy and Outlaw’s big bucket bravado, sits LaMarcus Aldridge. His “last shot” is essentially waiting to be released at any moment. Last season in Milwaukee, Aldridge went off for 29 points including the game-winner. Now it’s safe to assume Aldridge will also emerge as another go-to-guy when a game needs to be decided, perhaps even Wednesday night against Denver or an upcoming playoff game.
“Your key guys like that - that provide a lot of scoring for you - they have to learn how to do that,” McMillan added.
Through the course of the season, Aldridge’s production has come early in games as he’s embraced the moniker “Mr. First Quarter”. And while the ball typically ends up in Roy’s hands if a basket is needed late in shot clocks or in must win situations, Aldridge calmly picks his spots.
“It gets tough to find the schemes. You just try to figure it out,” Aldridge said.
For Roy though, he finds constant comfort in knowing L.A. can get the job done if and when the Blazers need that last shot.
“He (Aldridge) comes up huge. We just have different rhythms. Sometimes I look to attack because they want to take LaMarcus out right away,” Roy explained.
“It’s just about guys being ready to help carry the team.”
Roy has been there. So has Outlaw. The last shot is in them. It’s only fitting now that LaMarcus Aldridge joins the party.
With the game clock winding down and one final shot left, you always want your most clutch player to have the ball leave their fingertips. The L.A. Lakers feed the ball to Kobe Bryant, the Miami HEAT get the ball to Dwyane Wade, and so on. The Utah Jazz, on the other hand, use a different approach on who should take the last shot.
“It doesn’t really matter,” Andrei Kirilenko told HoopsWorld. “I think we have a pretty expanded team. Anybody on this team has the possibility of making the shot. I think our best chance is when we stick together and play as a team; we’ve already proved it many, many times that when we stay together in one way or another, we play the best game.”
“We have a lot of guys on this team who are pretty good in clutch situations,” added Ronnie Brewer. “D-Will, in some games, has taken the last shot, Mehmet and Booze have taken the last shot. Sometimes Paul [Millsap] is in there; when we need a big shot, we’ll put Paul in so he can take the ball to the basket and even Kyle Korver. So we have a lot of guys on this team that can make the big plays in big times. I think anybody on this team is capable of doing it so I’m confident in all of these guys to take the last shot.”
Obviously, the Jazz are pretty confident in their teammates, but they all can’t have their hand on the ball, so who is the leader of the pack of multiple options?
“Deron [Williams] is obviously our first option,” said Korver. “But we have other guys that can get it done and if not, we have guys spotting each other on the side of the rim.”
That seems to be the common trend around the Jazz locker room. Even though Deron is meant to be the set-up guy, the Jazz would rather see the ball fly out of his hands.
“D-Will,” Carlos Boozer said quickly. “I think D-Will has proven to hit big shots throughout the course of the season. He wants the ball in his hands at the end of the game. He has the ball in his hands the entire game actually, so I’d say D-Will.”
Deron plays for a franchise that has seen point guard great John Stockton set up shots time after time, but with a big-bodied guy like Deron, it’s not always pass first and shoot later anymore. MattHarpring, a long-time veteran gives his perspective on the differences of Deron and his former teammates, Stockton and Tim Hardaway.
“Deron is definitely emerging as a great player in this league,” said Harpring. “And he’ll continue to grow. The more experience he gets, the better he’ll get at the game-ending shots, so he’s definitely coming into his own.
“He’s kind of unique in that he has kind of a big body for a point guard,” continued Harpring. “I’ve played with smaller guys. I’ve played with guys like Tim Hardaway who is tall and lanky. He’s [Williams] a little bit different than Stockton was. Stockton was lighter and smaller and Deron has a bigger body. He makes himself a tough match-up.”
Head Coach Jerry Sloan, who has seen quite a bit more point guards in his time, takes some pressure off of Deron as ‘the guy’ and goes back to the ‘whoever’s open’ attitude.
“Point guards don’t always have to take the big shot,” said Sloan. “They pass it to the guy that’s open. John Stockton was here for 19 years and the idea was to run the offense, get the ball to the guy that’s open, if no one’s open you take the shot. That’s what execution is about, not just trying to break one individual down all the time. I think that’s what always gave us a chance to win a lot of games. I don’t care who takes the shot, just as long as they make it. I look pretty smart then.(smiling)”
Seems simple enough, but who does Deron think can shoot the clutch shot?
“All of my teammates. I think all of them can make the clutch shot to win the basketball game.”
If the opposing defense is to ever put pressure on Deron at the end of the game, an entire team of options to make the last shot is nice to have.
It was one of those shots kids dream of making when they’re playing basketball in their driveways.
Two seconds left… Catch the ball at three-quarters court… Launch… Buzzer… Swish! The crowd goes wild.
That was exactly what Dallas Mavericks forward Josh Howard treated his fans to just before half time of their recent win over the Phoenix Suns. It was gut-check time for the Mavs, who allowed the Suns to hang around the playoff picture for far too long.
Their offensive explosion in the first half of the game eclipsed any hope the Suns might have had of making some kind of miracle comeback. Josh’s three, which Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle called “magical,” gave the Mavs 81 points at the half.
“I told our guys before the game that there’s no other team in this league that’s gone through the highs that we’ve gone through, the lows, the winning streaks, the losing streaks, the great wins, the tough losses… All that stuff really prepares you to play a game like (Phoenix),” said Carlisle. “When you’ve got great energy going into it and the crown is in a frenzy, I don’t know how to explain it, but things like that happen. Magical things can happen. We’re looking to ride the wave here. We’ve got a chance to build some momentum, we’ve got a chance to get healthier, and we feel like we’re becoming a more dangerous team every day.”
“That’s the kind of night you have sometimes,” said Dirk Nowitzki of Howard’s big shot. “We’ve been on both ends before, where it feels like nothing goes in and the other team has it rolling and shots go in that usually don’t. I think if you’ve been in this league for a while you’ve been on both sides.”
The focus of the game, which Dallas won 141-116 was largely on Jason Kidd. His 20 assists moved him past Magic Johnson on the all-time assist list. But after the game everyone was talking about how important Josh is to the team. His 24 points in 28 minutes were every bit as key as Kidd’s assists.
“Josh is big for us, we’ve said it all season long,” says Nowitzki. “His ability to pass and shoot, slash and be active, his ability to crate his own shot on offense takes a lot of pressure off of me and Jet. We all know what he can do on the boards and defensively if he’s engaged in the game. He can be one of the best defenders out there because he’s long and he’s active. Hopefully his ankle responds the right way, but with him we have to take it one game at a time right now. We definitely need him out there. We saw it Friday when we lost to Memphis, if he would have played we wouldn’t have lost the game.”
Kidd points out that while Josh’s scoring is nice, his defense is really the key for Dallas.
“We can talk about Josh and his offense, but I think he’s getting his hands on balls, being effective, and getting rebounds on the defensive end, which we need. Offensively he’s a talent and can score with the best of them. But defensively he’s huge for us. We just need him to get healthy, get better, and push forward for these last few games so we can have him out there on the floor.”
“The lift that he gives us just by being on the court is something that’s hard to quantify,” adds Carlisle. “You can add up the points, you can count up the charges he takes, but he brings a bounce to our team and he juices up our fans. He makes our whole situation significantly better.”
The Mavericks are going to need Josh to inspire as much bounce as he can tonight. They might even need another magical shot. Tonight is the Mavericks’ big chance to get out of the Los Angeles Lakers’ sights as they begin to look at playoff match-ups. A win tonight moves them into a tie with the Jazz for the seventh seed in the West.
Nothing would be more magical than avoiding L.A. in the first round.
At first it seemed like the Phoenix Suns acquired the high-flying and explosive Jason Richardson a year too late. Under Terry Porter, Richardson looked like another player who would be better off in MikeD’Antoni’s system. They ended up being two months early, though, as they made the decision in mid-February to fire Porter and revert back to D’Antoni’s style of play under Alvin Gentry. Richardson’s numbers are up as a result of playing in a scheme that fully utilizes his strengths.
“This is more my style of basketball,” stated Richardson. “It’s up and down and run and gun. That’s when I’m at my best, when I’m in the open court for me to do what I do.”
Steve Kerr’s first big move as the GM of the Suns was bringing in Shaquille O’Neal from the Miami HEAT in exchange for Shawn Marion. The Suns remained a running team with D’Antoni at the helm, but after some disagreements with management he decided to move on with his career elsewhere. He was replaced by Terry Porter because they felt their personnel fit best in a half court system. Although O’Neal benefitted the most from the switch he’s been perfectly content with the decision to speed things back up.
“Yeah, he likes it,” revealed Richardson. “This team has the best of both worlds. We’re an up and down team but when we need baskets or we need to be a half-court team we can definitely throw the ball into him so he can get his shots up. He also gets everyone else involved.”
O’Neal has always been a willing passer and at the ripe age of 37 he still commands a double-team on the block. Even with Amar’e Stoudemire out, Shaq has no shortage of offensive firepower around him, which has led to the Suns leading the league in scoring once again. It’s because of their numerous offensive threats that there’s no one person they depend on with the game on the line.
“It really doesn’t matter,” said Richardson when asked about who the go-to guy was in the clutch. “Whoever has the hot hand that night. We’ve got so many scorers. You’re always going to see three of them. You got Shaq, when Amar’e was healthy with us, Steve (Nash), Matt (Barnes), and Grant (Hill). We just got so many scorers it’s pretty much who has the hot hand that night is gonna get the ball. We’ve got the type of team where nobody is selfish and we share the ball with each other.”
The game of H-O-R-S-E became an event during All-Star Weekend this year, but it’s been a longstanding tradition before and after practice for decades now. The Suns would have to be one of the top teams to watch because they have so many guys who can really shoot the ball.
“I don’t know (who holds the crown in H-O-R-S-E),” admitted Richardson. “Every other day it could be anybody. I’m definitely up there, Steve’s definitely up there. We got a lot of shooters on this team, a lot of great shooters.”
When the Suns are in a structured environment on the court they’re doing their best to become a team that can rely on their defense. If there’s one lesson this season has taught them, it’s that you cannot just outscore people every single night.
“Of course we want to outscore people, we’re not going to take away what we do best,” explained Richardson. “But at the same time when the game is on the line and things come down to it we have to learn how to get stops. We’re learning that right now and hopefully it carries on to the rest of the season and even into next year.”
The Suns will need it to carry over into next year because their season has realistically come to an end this year. They’re four games out with just five remaining and would need to win out in order to make it, while the Dallas Mavericks would have to lose out. The Suns struggled to find an identity this year but they finally have their players having fun again. Come next year, if they can stay healthy and together, they should see a much different result . . .and likely a return to the playoffs.
When it comes to game-winning shots, Dwyane Wade’s floater at the buzzer in double-overtime earlier this month was just about as dramatic and unbelievable as they come.
“That’s one of the best shots I’ve actually ever been a part of,” said teammate Jamario Moon. “That’s right at the top.”
But that wasn’t the first time Wade’s been the savior. He’s done this sort of thing again and again and again, which is why so many people are insisting his name belongs in the MVP discussion right along with LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. Two weeks later, when the Heat came to Chicago for a rematch against the team Wade embarrassed with that incredible floater, people were still talking about that shot.
Miami forward Udonis Haslem, who’s been with Wade for the MVP candidate’s entire career, chuckled, “That was a great shot—probably the first time I’ve ever seen him take a runner from behind the three-point line off one leg—so I would tell you that it was definitely more creative than the other ones.”
“Just the way he did it, in overtime in dramatic fashion,” rookie Michael Beasley added. “It’s fun playing with him. You’re always wondering what’s going to happen next.”
Wade himself could do nothing but grin remembering that shot, calling it one of his better buzzer-beaters. “That was number one or two right there,” he said coyly.
“The main thing,” Wade continued, “is trying to get the best look possible. You shoot them like you shoot the rest. That’s the only thing you can do. You can’t put too much into it. Some you’re going to hit and it’s going to be amazing, and some you’re going to miss. It happens.”
But hitting clutch shots isn’t just about draining shots as the clock winds down, as Heat head coach ErikSpoelstra pointed out.
“He’s had so many for us over the years,” Spoelstra explained, “either at the buzzer or down the stretch. He hits as many, if not more, than anybody else in the league with four minutes left in the fourth quarter, when people don’t necessarily count that as a clutch shot at the end of the game. But he’ll hit on consecutive possessions with that pull-up jumpshot, and he does that time and time again.”
But Wade, ever humble, just shrugged off his coach’s accolades.
“Whatever title people give me is what they give me,” Wade conceded. “It’s not really a worry of mine. I’m about winning a title. What my team needs me to do, I try to do it. To me it’s not just about being a clutch shooter, it’s about being a clutch player. This season I’ve done that on both ends of the floor because I’m trying to help us win ball games. That’s what I’m about.”
Regardless of his philosophy, Wade has been one of the league’s most amazing last-moment shooters the last half-decade and still has plenty more years ahead of him to do more of the same. His now-famous shot in the “El Heat” jersey, the steal against John Salmons and the floater at the buzzer, is only the beginning.
And that’s perhaps the scariest thing about Dwyane Wade—he’s only going to get better.
Last April Kevin Durant matched Carmelo Anthony shot for shot down the stretch and helped the Seattle SuperSonics to a double-overtime victory over the Denver Nuggets. What Durant did late in that game was largely instinctual and it was clear that even as a 19-year-old rookie he had a knack for knocking the down the big shot. Most around the league had a hunch that this might be the start of something big.
As clutch as Durant has been early in his NBA career, he admitted that this wasn’t always the case when he was a younger player.
“Earlier on I’d be nervous, you know, when I was younger or in college I would be nervous,” Durant explained. “But now that I’ve got in the league I’ve seen guys do it and it’s just another shot for me. Every time I get that opportunity I’m going to take advantage of it.”
One team Durant always seems to torture with his late game heroics is the Denver Nuggets, and that continued this season when Durant nailed a shot on February 4th with just a couple of seconds left in Oklahoma City that looked like it was going to bury the Nuggets. This time, though, turnabout was fair play as Carmelo Anthony hit the game-winner from the corner just before time expired.
When asked about why he seems to perform so well late in games against the Nuggets, Durant replied with a smile: “I just play my game. I wouldn’t say it’s something about Denver. I just play my game and go with the flow of my teammates. Some games I’m hitting shots, some games I’m not. Fortunately when I play Denver I’ve been hitting some shots. Hopefully we get a win next time we play.”
So what exactly makes a player good in the clutch, especially a player who hasn’t even played two full seasons in the Association?
“You can’t let the pressure get to you, that’s the main thing — that’s the only thing I would say,” Durant explained. “Just go out there like it’s a regular shot. The worst thing you can do is miss. Just know that you have another game the next day or the day after that. Games come and go in this league and that’s the best thing about it. During those times you can’t be nervous, just go out there and take the shot.”
Thus far in his young NBA career Durant has shown no fear when it comes to taking the big shot. And given the fact he just 20 years of age, fans around the league should expect to see many more late-game theatrics from Durant over the course of the next 10 or 15 years.
The Portland Trail Blazers have seen this act before.
You would think by mustering two mere wins out of their last 20 meetings with the Dallas Mavericks, the scouting report on Dirk Nowitzki would be officially ingrained in their collective memory.
You would think.
In less than a minute, Nowitzki hit a pair of big shots down the stretch to seal the 93-89 victory for the Mavericks, snapping the Blazers 12-game win streak at home. Two tough shots with guys in his face each time: a 17-foot fade away jump shot with Dallas up four points, and a deep jump shot seconds later to shut the door.
“That one shot was probably a little lucky but I was just happy it went in,” Nowitzki said of the fade away jumper that put Dallas up by four points late.
Dirk finished with a game-high 29 points, while also grabbing 10 rebounds for his 21st double-double of the season.
“LaMarcus (Aldridge) was pretty tight on me and it was just a matter of looking at the rim and getting it up over him, because he’s long and athletic. I was able to get him up and shoot over him.”
How do you defend that? With the 7′0 Nowitzki, it’s nearly impossible when he is falling away or with his textbook high release. Scratch that. It is impossible.
While he started the game strong – going 8-11 for a game high 17 points in the first half – Dirk straight struggled in the second half. Double teams came between early and often. His shot was falling. But he kept shooting hit them when it mattered most – twice.
“He’s a great player. He wants the ball in his hands when the game is being decided and we do everything we can to make sure he gets it,” added head coach Rick Carlisle, “he delivered last night in a huge way and tonight he delivered again.”
That’s what Dallas will remember most– not how Portland basically won three of the four quarters of the game – but how Dirk delivered in déjà vu fashion on back-to-back nights in Phoenix and Portland.
“It was tremendous,” Mavs guard Jason Terry, who finished with 24 points off the bench, said of Nowitzki’s hot hand late in the fourth quarter.
“With the ball in my hands in that situation I was just looking to get a shot off, but Dirk’s defender took his eye off for a split second and I got it to him and he knocked it down. He’s in rhythm right now that I don’t care what he does out there. There is just a good chance it is going to go in.”
With the win, Dallas lives to fight another day in the postseason picture as they sit in the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Chances are the playoff race out West will come down to the final days of the regular season.
And chances are Dirk has still a few more big shots to hit before it is all said and done.
“Some of those shots he hit tonight, there is no defense for that. Even with great defense he just makes those shots,” Terry said with a smile.
“That’s why he was MVP a few years ago and that’s how he’s our most valuable player today.”
Most people think of passing when they hear the name Jason Kidd. The Dallas Mavericks acquired him in a trade that sent scoring phenom Devin Harris to the New Jersey Nets because they were looking for a set-up guy.
Kidd, now past the 10,000-assist threshold for his career, fits the bill perfectly. Kidd is a capable scorer, too, but he’s never been the first - or even second - option when it comes to putting the ball in the hole directly. He’s much more likely to be once removed from all baskets scored. This season, however, we’re seeing more and more of Kidd with the ball in his hands when it counts the most - and he’s delivering the big shot himself instead of deferring to others.
Classic case in point, a recent win over the San Antonio Spurs. After leading by ten with a few minutes to go, the Mavericks saw the Spurs cut that lead to two with 30 seconds left in the game. The Spurs played Kidd to pass, as most teams do, and Kidd fooled them. Anticipating their inattention, he set himself up for a corner three. He drilled it, icing a huge win for the Mavs.
The “Other” Jason Kidd
“I had a feeling they were going to double Dirk,” Kidd said of the play. “We put Dirk at the free throw line so he could see the double-team. I chose to go to Terry’s side because I felt that if they doubled off of me then I would have a wide open shot and it was just up to me to make or miss. I felt that I was going to make it, so that’s why I went over there. I wanted the shot and I would go from there.”
“It was huge,” said Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle. “It was huge. But ever since Jason Terry went out with the hand injury, (Kidd) has stepped it up and he’s looking to score. He’s coming off at mid-range and we’re running stuff with people coming around screens and he’s knocking down shots. He is a great player, and the things that he does for this team from an analytical standpoint have the computers overheating churning out all the (stats). It’s beyond belief how much better he makes guys when he’s on the floor. I’m really happy for him because that was a game that meant a lot to him because it’s a big-time team in our division, the match-up against Tony Parker is one that everybody talks about, and so much of Kidd’s greatness gets overlooked when he doesn’t put up big scoring numbers. That’s a sin. Shame on the media for that.”
OK, Rick, here you go. This season Kidd is scoring a career-low 9.2 points per game, but he also has three top-notch scorers around him in Dirk Nowitzki, Josh Howard, and Jason Terry. In late February and early March, when the Mavs were without Terry for a couple of weeks due to a hard injury, Kidd averaged better than 10 points per game and shot over 50% from the field and over 45% from three.
“He can take and make the big shot,” says Terry. “We’ve seen him do it time and time again. At the end, when it’s on the line, we want the ball in his hands because he is going to make the right decision, whether it’s shooting himself or getting it to the guy that’s open. He’s done it throughout his career and it’s nothing different now.”
Kidd is still somewhat reluctant to look for his own shot most of the time. A familiar sight for Mavs fans is Kidd all alone at the top of the three-point arch with defenders scurrying away to cover passing lanes or position themselves for rebounds. Lately, however, that maneuver is costing opposing teams three points, especially late in games.
“I think at the end of the game, he’s going to be the guy that’s open,” says Dirk Nowitzki. “For some reason, he doesn’t have the reputation of a good shooter, but for us actually, when his feet are set, he’s been a great three-point shooter. When he’s got the time to set his feet, split his legs a little bit, it always seems to look good. When he’s open, I totally trust him, no matter if it’s the first quarter or the fourth quarter.”
That vote of confidence from his franchise player, together with a few more game-winning three-point shots, should do wonders for both Kidd and the Mavs. Though they sit in the Western Conference’s eighth seed today, they’re also just a couple of games removed from home court advantage in the playoffs.
With Kidd gaining confidence and knocking down big shots, the Mavs don’t need much of an opening to move up over the season’s final 20 games.
It was the biggest shot of Bulls guard Derrick Rose’s professional career. Well, so far.
Battling back from a 17-point fourth quarter deficit, Rose—a clear favorite for Rookie of the Year—scored sixteen points in the period against the Houston Rockets, shooting 7-for-8 from the field en route to a pretty incredible come-from-behind victory in his home arena.
The biggest of those seven field goals, however, came with just over half a minute left in the game and the score tied at 102. Blowing past the speedy Aaron Brooks, Rose drifted into the lane off balance and floated up a rainbow of a shot that bounced around the rim a couple of times before dropping. It was the first game-winning shot of his NBA career.
“I finished a game in Minnesota and some other places where I got the last shot,” Rose admitted following the big win, “but this time I finally made one.”
He added, “I’ve found that in the NBA the game is never over. Hit some shots and put yourself back in the game, and you can win games. In this league you can never give up.”
Bulls head coach Vinny Del Negro explicated his game plan down the stretch, explaining, “We tried to get some high screen rolls and Derrick was hitting his floater in the lane. He got it going and pulled us out in the fourth quarter.
“The thing with Derrick,” Del Negro continued, “is we want him to stay aggressive.”
That is something Rose has struggled with this year, often deferring to teammates and letting other people take the big shot. However on this night, Rose scored more points and took more shots than anybody else in a Bulls uniform, and the results set him 3 assists and 2 rebounds away from a triple-double.
“He killed us,” said Rockets head coach Rick Adelman, “especially off the pick-and-roll. He got into the paint and just killed us.
“Interestingly enough, after the game Rose refused to credit his offense for the exciting win; it was defense, he says, that made the comeback possible.
“Everybody came together in the huddle and said the game wasn’t over,” Rose explained. “We came out there and controlled them on the defensive end and scored on the other end… Everything starts with defense and rebounding. We got them into a shot-clock violation or something like that and the crowd really starting getting into it. We just went from there.”
As Rose’s defense and offense both improve with age and experience he will get many more opportunities to knock down game-winners, but the first one is always the sweetest. It was the biggest shot of Derrick Rose’s career.
by Wendell Maxey of HOOPSWORLD
by Bill Ingram of Hoopsworld.com
By Joel Brigham of Hoopsworld.com