LeBron James vs. Dwyane Wade: Who Should the Miami Heat Turn to in Crunch Time?
With the NBA season still hanging somewhere in between possibly and soon enough, the hunger strike continues amongst the fanbase. This feels like a good time to throw a little fuel on an old flame.
Remember the ever-present rhetorical question that was raised on television networks and radio stations in the summer of 2010, “Who will take the last shot for the Miami Heat?” Varying opinions ranged from very reasonable to “LeBron James cannot finish in the clutch.”
We know that is laughable, but everyone is entitled to an opinion, regardless of its parallel to actual facts.
With that in mind and one season complete, historical data could be used to narrow this down to a more scientific range. That process would yield a figure predicated on factors that are hard to duplicate consistently and leave us where we always have been, formulating educated guesses.
Neither James nor Dwyane Wade is a stranger to closing games in dramatic fashion with just minutes remaining in a contest. With these specific tools in Erik Spoelstra’s tool kit, is there really a bad choice when given these options?
With Wade, the Heat get a 21st-century version of what Vinnie Johnson gave the Detroit Pistons off the bench in the late '80s. The update from that model comes in the form of freakish athleticism, New York Summer League control of the ball and Allen Iverson-like quickness, in money time.
Wade did his most memorable crunch time work against the Dallas Mavericks in 2006, but those final four games were nothing more than what Heat fans have come to expect when the contests hangs in the balance.
Conversely, James gives the defense a different set of problems to combat. While James can explode at any point in a game, his efforts are usually spread out over the course of his minutes on the court.
In the clutch, James is still a dual threat, taking much of his work in the form of point totals, while still accepting the open teammate option when it is available. This approach, while sometimes criticized, can be quantified by an obvious assessment.
An open NBA shooter is much more likely to convert a basket when compared to a person attempting a contested pull-up. Reference Steve Kerr, John Paxson and Toni Kukoc.
Last season James took many of the last-minute looks at the basket for the Heat. That philosophy became frustrating for the fanbase midway through the season when many of James’ attempts came up empty on final possessions.
Admittedly, even I was trying to figure out why James continued to drive full speed to the basket, in traffic, with his off hand, hoping for good results. The closing attempt needs to be a good look from 15 feet or so, not a foray to the cup, where fouls are almost never called.
Nonetheless, the Heat coaching staff was not deterred by the early-season setbacks and continued to utilize the hot hand in money time, allowing both stars to contribute when the All-Star baskets were needed.
Ultimately, it seems the best method of answering this question lies in the fact that no answer is needed at all. Both players can contribute and play off one another, both players can affect the game in different ways, and when push comes to a hot hand, the other can simply get out of the way.
