What’s the buzz from the world of sports? Here are some items that will have people talking:
1
Kevin Durant’s legacy got a temporary upgrade Saturday when he knocked down a game-winning jump shot to beat the Mavericks. The Oklahoma City forward hit a contested, high-arching fadeway from 16 feet out to give the Thunder the Game 1 win.
Considering he got the ball with nine seconds left and his team down by one, it makes sense that the scoring champion would take it upon himself to try and get the win.
But should the final shot always go to the team’s best player?
Conventional wisdom says yes, but when analysts such as ESPN’s Henry Abbott began breaking down the data, he found that most teams are significantly less productive in crunch-time simply because they follow that mindset. After all, if the best option really is to give it your best man and get out of the way, why would teams even bother with plays throughout the course of the game.
Players such as Kobe Bryant has built his legend upon hitting game-winners, even though most of his last-second attempts clank off the rim. Doesn’t matter. Nobody remembers the misses.
Maybe they should start to.
2
Much has been made of Derrick Rose’s season-ending injury being a result of this year’s compact NBA schedule, but that is probably a bit of a stretch. Yes, playing 66 games in 123 games is trying, but it’s not as though injuries have spiked this year.
Yes, it’s unfortunate that the Bulls’ superstar will have to miss the postseason, likely condemning his team’s playoff hopes as a result. But ACL injuries are relatively common in the NBA, and something similar could just as easily happened next year. Remember when Magic Johnson pulled his hamstring and had to miss the 1989 Finals? Had that happened today, the schedule would have been blamed.
Fatigue? Lack of recovery time? That can be blamed on the schedule.
What happened to Rose? Unfortunately, that just stinks.
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