The unparalleled love for NBA superstars that perform in the
clutch is unlike anything else in sports. Kobe Bryant’s one-on-one style in the
closing moments of games was heir to Michael Jordan’s legendary finishing blows. Their emphatic fist pumps and rousing chest pounds are etched into our collective sports consciousness. We never forget grand finishes capped by an athlete's unwillingness to lose. Fans eat it up—and understandably so. Our romanticization of such impressive individual achievements is deeply ingrained
into American culture. There
is something so perfectly American in this easily digestible action of a single player "winning a game." We love things that are
impressive and simple. I believe this provides insight into our reverence of NBA players that singlehandedly perform well in the clutch. That is, until LeBron James came along.
LeBron did not fit the mold. Here is a 6’8” 250-pound beast
who can do virtually anything he wants on a basketball court. Unlike anyone else, he scores and
plays defense while orchestrating and executing like a coach. His physical
stature and play mirror everything that we traditionally admire. And yet, many
find his game unsatisfying. He looks and feels like he should be a Jordan- or
Kobe-type and yet he self-identifies and plays more like Magic Johnson. He “passes
too much.” Somehow the future Hall-of-Famer, who has mastered the game on a
level never seen before, is criticized for how he plays the game. The tension is
palpable in how we idealize success through traditional masculinity and how many
players (and coaches) in the newer generations approach a game's final moments. The undying love for the Jordan/Kobe-style singular determination is battling it out against a team-first
LeBron-style strategy. Old school vs. new school.
Here's how I articulated my feelings in another one of those Kobe/Jordan/LeBron conversations recently with a couple friends: We need to identify
and answer a few simple questions regarding the desired outcome of end-game
situations. 1) What’s the goal at the end of the game? (Hit shots.) 2) What’s the
best way to do that? (Get a high percentage shot.) 3 How do you get a high
percentage shot? (Create one for yourself or
someone else.)
A great closer wins games. The false equivalence of winning
games as an individual to winning games as a team is mistaken. “Putting the
ball in the hoop” is the goal—it doesn’t matter who does it. In fact, the goal
of a leader in any field should be to achieve a desired outcome no matter who
receives credit. A leader recognizes the strengths (and weaknesses) of all team
members and puts the team in the best position to succeed. The pass that leads
to the shot doesn’t lead to the same glory, chest pounding, or snarling face of victory that does a one-on-one buzzer beater. Kids don’t grow up on the driveways of America pretending
to pass to teammates in the best position to hit a shot or layup. We chant “3…2…1…”
and launch a fade-away shot as time expires to the invisible crowd going wild.
It’s the American Dream in a moment.
The irony, which I am more than happy to acknowledge, is the
imperfection in equating last second shots to team success. There are 48
minutes in a regulation basketball game, so for me to examine the final 24 seconds
as the only important ones would be to oversimplify the complexity of the path
to success. Nonetheless, I think there is something to be said for LeBron’s
success in the recent decade and a half where specialization and NBA talent has
made it harder for repeat champions to occur. In the past few years, the Golden
State Warriors are another excellent example of optimizing the new-school approach to success (read: wins and championships). Despite relying strictly on one of two of the best shooters
of all time, Curry and Klay, or two of the best scorers, Durant and Curry, the
Steve Kerr offense always looks for the best shot. The team with the best
individual talent somehow also leads the league in assists. Even in the Mark Jackson era, one of the shots that has stuck with me was a Jarrett Jack to Draymond Green layup to win the game vs. the LeBron Miami Heat. That shot featured Steph Curry and Klay Thompson on the floor.
Yes, Kyrie’s shot in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals will
immortalize him in a moment. Yes, Michael and Kobe fans praise their end-game tenacity. But more recently, the evolution of basketball has trended toward a LeBron/Warriors-style approach to win. The slow turn towards using five players to win a game instead
of one is gaining acceptance. Superstars know that they can win one-on-one
battles, but when it becomes one-on-three or more… It’s time to acknowledge the
goal is to win as a team not always as an individual. Appreciating grit and
determination should be praised and yet not synonymous with the strategic
pursuit of success.
