Kobe Bryant has frequently demonstrated his remarkable ability to make game-winning shots from all angles against any type of defense. Media members, "stat gurus" and fans love to argue about whether or not Bryant's barrage of such shots proves that he is the league's best clutch player but that debate has never interested me very much because--as I wrote in a March 7, 2010 article--"Even though game-winning shots are very exciting, it is much more important to be a clutch player than to simply hit clutch shots; it is more impressive and significant to be able to control an entire game--or at least large stretches of a game--than to hit one shot at the end, even if that one shot provides the final margin of victory."
Hall of Fame Coach Dr. Jack Ramsay agrees with me about this. In an interview with Jim Durham, Ramsay declares, "I rate him (Kobe Bryant) as the best finisher of all-time, not just for the one last shot--for which Michael Jordan was understandably famous and well-recognized--but he'll make consecutive shots. He will make the shots that bring you back into a game and then will continue to knock down shots until the game is won. I have never seen anybody like Kobe Bryant in that regard."
The Ability to Control a Game Down the Stretch is More Significant than Simply Making Buzzer Beating Shots
