Cramer: "Kobe's better in the clutch"... Not so Fast

Who's better in the clutch, Kobe or LeBron. It's the argument that always seems to go Kobe's way, and is the main reason why people who prefer Kobe to LeBron do so. There's more to the argument than Lakers and Kobe fans seem to present though. One can always hear a Kobe fan ranting and raving about his ability to shoot and make an outside shot, which is necessary in the clutch. They say that because he is a better shooter, he will make more of his shots when they matter, and as a result be a better clutch player and in tandem be a better player overall.

I agree, Kobe is a better jump shooter. But, does he really make more of his shots in the clutch? No. According to 82games.com, LeBron shoots 55.6% in clutch time compared to Kobe's 45.7%. Don't try to tell me LeBron only dunks in the clutch, because we've all seen what he can do from long range:




LeBron has a better 3 point percentage too at 42% compared to Kobe's 40%. LeBron's is on 8.2 attempts compared to Kobe's 10.1 tries. And frankly, even if all of LeBron's clutch baskets were from close range that would only add to an argument on his behalf because a coach would much rather have his superstar get to the basket and score at an incredibly high rate compared to Kobe, who shoots 3's from 5 feet behind the three point line.

Check out the rest of the numbers too. If you're too lazy, I'll give you a run down of what's on there. The numbers are arranged according to extrapolation over 48 minutes of "clutch time" basketball. They define "clutch" as "4th quarter or overtime, less than 5 minutes left, neither team ahead by more than 5 points." Sounds like a pretty good definition to me, and if one player is a better producer during those minutes, I think it would be pretty easy to make an argument for them as the best clutch performer... don't you?

Well... during that period of time over 48 minutes LeBron averages 55.9 points, 14.3 rebounds, 12.6 assists, 1.7 blocks, and 3.5 steals. Kobe has averages of 56.7 points, 8.4 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 0.0 blocks, and 1.0 steals. Finally, the plus/minus statistic that some people view as the most important of all has LeBron at +45 and Kobe at +34 per 48 minutes. I'd rather win by 45 points than 34 points, I think?

I'm clearly biased in my analysis of any LeBron vs. Kobe stats, but these ones aren't really even close. The only stat that favors Kobe is turnovers, where LeBron has 4.8 to Kobe's 3.0, but LeBron is essentially a point guard in clutch time, whereas the Lakers have a clutch PG in Derek Fisher, too.

My argument isn't that I'd rather have LeBron in the clutch than Kobe. I likely would choose Kobe for the last shot of a game. What I'm saying is that Kobe supporters use Kobe's clutch factor as their argument for him being the better player, but any upper hand he has in that department isn't significant enough to surpass LeBron as an overall player. Stats don't tell the whole story, but in this case they say enough to help a LeBron supporter's argument.

Kobe's obviously a great player, but there's no denying he has a better supporting cast full of other clutch performers. If LeBron can ever get the kind of help Kobe has had in his 4 championships, he will be well on his way to being the best of all time. We'll see if that starts this year...


Check out the rest of the numbers and the other players on the list at:

http://www.82games.com/0809/CSORT11.HTM

And does anyone else still have the chills from LeBron's shot above?