LeBron passed it again.

[Cruzerr]

So, about the loss that Miami had against Utah, that final moment, what do you think, should have James shot the ball or was the pass right?

Heres a video of it[skip to 2.34]:

phpBB [video]

[Mavs4Life]

I think he's a little scared of the media now, and dosen't wanna take the very ast shot and miss again. He's a superstar, a leader, and right now pretty much the best player in the league, so he's gotta take that shot.

[shadowgrin]

It's not that big of a deal that it deserves its own thread imo.

[Mandich]

He did pass it to a WIDE open Haslem so it wasn't that bad of a decision.

[Cruzerr]

It really isn`t a big deal, but I just wanted to open up a discussion, to see peoples opinions on it.

Personally, I feel that he might have had a better shot then Haslem, but he was wide open, so the pass was good.

[NovU]

The entire issue would have been moot had Haslem made the shot or even if Bosh was available for that shot. And I am pretty sure if Lebron missed a shot you guys would be going "See, he's not up for a moment." The point is there is no perfect decisions that you guys would have agreed on, unless somebody made that basket. Lebron played the last possession he normally would, which usually are the right basketball plays. And he acted decisively even some people might disagree with his decision.

[RedPhazon8]

I think the main issue is where Wade is in the play, you want both stars to get a chance at it so they can win the game for your team. Wade is no where to be found for an option. One reason the "Big 3" are on one team is because of situations like this... Wade doesn't do you any good if he's not running a route to attempt to get open.

[NovU]

Yeah, Wade could have made something outta that last possession. But Lebron was just sizzling hot. You go with whoever has hot hands, that's what Erik did and you can't really fault his logic either.

[shadowgrin]

Yeah, Wade could have made something outta that last possession. But Lebron was just sizzling hot. You go with whoever has hot hands, that's what Erik did and you can't really fault his logic either.

So based on your logic LeBron should have taken the last shot instead of Haslem.

[Cruzerr]

Yeah, Wade could have made something outta that last possession. But Lebron was just sizzling hot. You go with whoever has hot hands, that's what Erik did and you can't really fault his logic either.

If you sound it that way...LeBron should have taken the shot.

[NovU]

Not neccessarily as he ran the play.

[Dc311]

I agree it is not a big deal but he could have taken it in.

[koberulz]

He passed out of a double and got the team a wide open 15-footer. Where's the problem?

Who was the Heat player on the 45 on the right hand side of the court? Depending on that, would have liked to have seen Haslem kick it to him for an even more open shot.

[JBoom_LALALAND]

I agree it is not a big deal but he could have taken it in.

I agree. But that's the same thing with Jordan passing to Paxson, but the outcome was different.
It was NO!!

Meanwhile, in Jordan's time,
it was:
"PAXSON-FOR-3"

[Andrew]

The entire issue would have been moot had Haslem made the shot or even if Bosh was available for that shot. And I am pretty sure if Lebron missed a shot you guys would be going "See, he's not up for a moment." The point is there is no perfect decisions that you guys would have agreed on, unless somebody made that basket. Lebron played the last possession he normally would, which usually are the right basketball plays. And he acted decisively even some people might disagree with his decision.

I've seen this argument come up a couple of times and it absolutely has merit. There is definitely a certain element of damned if he does, damned if he doesn't at play here. However, LeBron passing up big shots has been a recurring theme going back to his time in Cleveland and last year's Finals raised further questions about his willingness to take responsibility when it mattered most and being too passive when his team needs him to dominate like we know he's capable of doing, pretty much whenever he wants. If he doesn't make that shot, he's still going to draw some jeers but my guess is that the criticism wouldn't be quite as harsh as it is for passing on the shot again. There'd be a notion of "At least he took it upon himself and tried".

As far as I'm concerned it wasn't a terrible play because the double team came and Haslem was open, but Haslem isn't necessarily the guy you want taking a gamewinning shot. Out of everyone on the Heat's roster, I'd actually prefer Wade to be taking that shot but between LeBron and Haslem I'd rather see LeBron take it, make or miss.

I agree. But that's the same thing with Jordan passing to Paxson, but the outcome was different.
It was NO!!

Meanwhile, in Jordan's time,
it was:
"PAXSON-FOR-3"

If you're talking about the shot in the 1993 Finals, that was actually Horace Grant making the pass to Paxson.

It's also not really the same thing at all. There was never any issue with Jordan shying away from taking big shots, whereas it's become a bit of a trend with LeBron. That's the key difference here.

[JBoom_LALALAND]

If you're talking about the shot in the 1993 Finals, that was actually Horace Grant making the pass to Paxson.

It's also not really the same thing at all. There was never any issue with Jordan shying away from taking big shots, whereas it's become a bit of a trend with LeBron. That's the key difference here.

Totally, not like Kobe, very fearless!
If it goes in,he's a hero. If not, then still you will be remembered for the big shots he made.
But Kobe has a knack of scoring in he closing seconds.

[Andrew]

Exactly. Kobe, like MJ, Bird, Miller and other great clutch performers before him, has not connected on every attempt at a gamewinning shot. Indeed, earlier this season his crunch time shooting overall was very poor by his standards. Still, he's the player you want taking those big shots and he's fearless enough to do it.

That's how it should be with LeBron, and we have seen him take - and make - big shots and gamewinners before. But we've also seen him pass up shots that he really should take himself in those situations. In this instance it wasn't a terrible decision, passing out of the double team and hitting the open man. But he's also passing to someone who at that point had only attempted four shots all night and isn't shooting near as well as LeBron is on jumpers and in crunch time. The play made sense, but I still think you have to live with LeBron taking that shot, make or miss.

[The X]

I saw the game live & it was the right play. Haslem shooting a wide open 16 foot jumpshot beats Lebron going left and shooting a fadeaway/running shot over two defenders. Jazz defended Lebron well & he made a good play to a wide open Haslem. In a normal situation Bosh is in that position & makes the shot 8/10 & Wade is not fouled out & is an option, so Jazz can't overplay Lebron as much.

[Kenny]

I think he made the right play. I actually think he makes some decent decisions, he's just not often rewarded for it, whereas someone like Kobe takes crazy shots and has had great luck.

Also, I don't think enough attention was drawn to those awful fouls from D-Wade. That one on Harris when he was shooting the three was particularly bad.

[koberulz]

What happened to making the play that makes sense given what the defense does? This notion that a certain player should take the shot is stupid. The player with the best shot should take it, and Haslem had the best shot. If LeBron had a better shot and passed it up, that's when we should have a go at him.

You get Haslem an open mid-range jumper, it's money. Or at least it would be any other year, as he appears to only be shooting 20% from mid-range this season, but at the end of the day that's the best shot they could have got given the defensive reaction. The fact that the game happened to be on the line, and that LeBron is the best player on the team, or whatever else, is completely irrelevant. This is basketball, not a movie.

[Andrew]

It wasn't a terrible play, but the Jazz didn't throw much of a double team at him. Watch the video in the first post from the 2:54 mark, LeBron is perfectly capable of beating that defense. It's a nifty pass, again not a terrible play but probably not the person you want to run it with given Haslem's shooting percentages in crunch time and on jumpshots this year. That's not LeBron's fault of course and I'd agree that if that's Wade or Bosh out there, chances are that shot wins them the game. As it is, I think LeBron could've had a pretty decent look himself.

[koberulz]

Or they bring a third, and Haslem's no longer open.

Does anyone who watched the game or has seen a higher-quality video know who the Heat player is that pops out to the three-point line on the 45? That's the player that should've been taking the shot, assuming he's a decent three-point shooter.

[NovU]

I'm more with koberulz on this particular play as it really wasn't a bad look at the basket. But what Andrew is saying isn't totally off the hook in the full body of the work and represents a lot of critics out there who take different stance when evaluating Lebron. Lebron certainly has long ways to go if wants to be considered a game winning shot maker along in the likes of Kobe, or Jordan. Though he really is more of clutch than people claim him to be(stats back it up), he certainly needs to back it up with memorable finishes as Kobe and Jordan have. Say if he didn't defer to Haslem but made the basket himself, it could have been one of those memorable moments for the fans. All that despite the play being not a bad decision. That's what he is being targeted for I assume.

[Patr1ck]

What a horrible lesson for the kids:Don't pass it. The double came as soon as he got the ball so he already saw that Haslem was open. Haslem was ready for the pass the whole time. Why Lebron is getting the scrutiny is beyond me. If he is going to win a championship, he needs the people around him to be able to execute plays like that.

[koberulz]

Lebron certainly has long ways to go if wants to be considered a game winning shot maker along in the likes of Kobe, or Jordan.

Given that Kobe and Jordan got those reputations because the media felt like handing them out, rather than actually doing anything to deserve them, and that same media seems determined to tear LeBron down regardless of what he does, it's reasonable to assume at this point that no matter what LeBron does he's never going to have that reputation.

Of course, since that reputation has nothing to do with anything that actually happens on the court, who cares? And even if it did, who cares? Winning games is what's important, which particular player takes the shot isn't.

he certainly needs to back it up with memorable finishes as Kobe and Jordan have.

Why?

Say if he didn't defer to Haslem but made the basket himself, it could have been one of those memorable moments for the fans.

His job isn't to entertain fans. His job is to help his team win. That's what he was doing.

That's what he is being targeted for I assume.

He's being targeted for playing basketball instead of being a self-important douchebag. As opposed to last year, when he was targeted for being a self-important douchebag instead of playing basketball.