NBA Fantastic Finishes, Who's The Man?

The NBA had the day off on New Year’s Day, but tonight’s fantastic finishes more than made up for the off day.  The players had a little rest and the last second shots were falling. 

Jarrett Jack wins the game for the Pacers with 0.9 seconds left.  In overtime, Vince Carter nails a long three-point shot to win the game for the Nets over the Hawks.  And after Kevin Durant made an impossible catch-and-shoot three-point shot over Carmelo Anthony, Melo came right back and nailed a corner jumper to give the Nuggets the victory over the Thunder. 

These unbelievable finishes had me asking myself, “What NBA player would you want to be on the receiving end of the inbounds pass to take a last second shot?”

Here is the scenario:  You are coaching a team down one or two points with less than two seconds on the clock.  After the other team just scored to take the lead, you have called time-out and moved the ball to half court.  You have a half court side-out of bounds situation.  You only have time for the direct pass to the offensive player and maybe one dribble. 

Who do you want?

Here is my list of the top five NBA players that have the ability and confidence to deliver on a last possession catch-and-shoot:

1.  Vince Carter, Nets

There is no one better in the NBA at making this shot.  Carter can shoot over anyone.  He will catch the ball with his back to the basket at the top of the key and make a fade away jumper, but he also can cut back door and finish the game with a dunk. 

Add his unlimited range on a high arching jump shot and you have the perfect offensive package to score quickly with the other team’s best defender challenging the shot.

2.  Tim Duncan, Spurs

The Big Fundamental’s patented wing bank shot is the perfect weapon for this situation.  Duncan can catch, quickly face up, and score.  He also is one of the best big men in the Association at getting open in the spot on the floor where he wants to catch the ball.

3.  Carmelo Anthony, Nuggets 

Melo is one of the best offensive players in the NBA.  He has unlimited range and can make any shot on the court.  Of these five guys, Anthony is the one guy who operates well in the deep corner. 

His catch-and-shoot last tonight to beat the OKC Thunder is typical of his ability.  If you watch the replay closely, you can see Melo’s superb footwork around the 3-point line in the limited space along the sideline and corner area.  

Plus, a hand in his face does not bother Anthony.

4. Kobe Bryant, Lakers

Nothing that Kobe does surprises any NBA fan.  He is as clutch under pressure as anyone.  I ranked him behind some of these guys, because he is more dangerous with time to face and beat someone off the dribble.  Also, he does not have the shooting range of Anthony or Carter. 

5. Dirk Nowitzki, Mavericks

Because of his size and shooting ability, Dirk is a match up nightmare in this particular situation.  A bigger player that can challenge the shot probably is not used to guarding someone around the 3 point line. If you put a smaller guy on Nowitzki, he catches the inbounds pass in the mid-post area and shoots his patented fade away jump shot. 

Of this group, Dirk is the one player that might feel the pressure and fumble the pass.

All of these players have exceptional range, are big enough to get any shot off, can make off balance and fade away shots, hate to lose games, and believe they are going to come through in the clutch.  

Other players that I would love to have in this situation are Paul Pierce, Chauncey Billups (the Nuggets have two guys and that is scary during playoff time), Stephen Jackson, Kevin Durant, and Hedo Turkoglu.