Most clutch player in Atlanta Hawks history: Dominique Wilkins
The Atlanta Hawks do not have a storied history of clutch moments, largely because the team’s only title came in 1958, and they have not been closer than eight wins to the title for the past 50 years. That does not mean that they did not have clutch players.
Dominique Wilkins, the franchise’s all-time leading scorer, was known during his career as the “Human Highlight Reel” due to his flashy scoring prowess. The Hall of Fame player was a part of the Hawks’ strongest run since that ’50s team, pushing against the Boston Celtics’ stranglehold on the Eastern Conference twice in the late 1980s.
Key Moment: In Game 7 of the 1988 Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Atlanta Hawks were attempting to knock Larry Bird and the Celtics from their throne. Wilkins stepped up to the challenge, doing what few players in the league could ever do — hang with Bird shot-for-shot.
Wilkins scored 47 points in a game known as “The Duel” to will his Hawks towards a victory. In the 4th quarter he and Bird traded baskets back-and-forth. While in the end the more talented and experienced Celtics prevailed, Wilkins showed the world that on the biggest stage, in the most clutch moment in modern franchise history, he was up to the challenge.
NBA not all points are created equal. Perhaps mathematically two points scored at the beginning of a game are the same as two points scored at the end, but basketball is not purely a game of math. It’s a game of emotion, of narrative, of players rising to meet the pressure of a clutch moment.</p>
<p>Kids do not count out the seconds in their head of a second-quarter possession before launching a ball of paper towards their wastebasket. Growing up we instead placed ourselves at the very end of a game, when the stakes were higher and the pressure unbearable. How we performed in those moments would make us the talk of the town, one way or another. 3…2…1…</p>
<p>We remember NBA players, rightly or wrongly, for how they performed at the end of games. The all-time greats were dominant all the time, but they didn’t shy away from the biggest moments. In addition, other players, ones who may not have been the stars on their teams, made a name for themselves by performing in a huge moment.</p>
<p>While some teams have had more high-pressure moments than others, each has a long history of players thriving or wilting when the chips were down. Who are the players who have been the best in the clutch for each franchise? And what moment defines their clutch play the most?</p>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Photo by Dick Raphael/NBAE via Getty Images</p>
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<h2>Most clutch player in Atlanta Hawks history: Dominique Wilkins</h2>
<p>The Atlanta Hawks do not have a storied history of clutch moments, largely because the team’s only title came in 1958, and they have not been closer than eight wins to the title for the past 50 years. That does not mean that they did not have clutch players.</p>
<p>Dominique Wilkins, the franchise’s all-time leading scorer, was known during his career as the “Human Highlight Reel” due to his flashy scoring prowess. The Hall of Fame player was a part of the Hawks’ strongest run since that ’50s team, pushing against the Boston Celtics’ stranglehold on the Eastern Conference twice in the late 1980s.</p>
<p><strong>Key Moment:</strong> In Game 7 of the 1988 Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Atlanta Hawks were attempting to knock Larry Bird and the Celtics from their throne. Wilkins stepped up to the challenge, doing what few players in the league could ever do — hang with Bird shot-for-shot.</p>
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<p>Wilkins scored 47 points in a game known as “The Duel” to will his Hawks towards a victory. In the 4th quarter he and Bird traded baskets back-and-forth. While in the end the more talented and experienced Celtics prevailed, Wilkins showed the world that on the biggest stage, in the most clutch moment in modern franchise history, he was up to the challenge.</p>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Boston Celtics, Larry Bird (Photo by Dick Raphael/NBAE via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Most clutch player in Boston Celtics history: Larry Bird</h2>
<p>The Boston Celtics are a franchise packed with history and accolades. In Boston 17 title banners hang from the rafters, and the ranks of players to suit up in green and white are packed with Hall of Famers. Yet even with so many great players to choose from the most clutch player in Celtics’ history is easy to find: Larry Joe Bird himself.</p>
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<p>One of Bird’s nicknames is literally “Mr Clutch” because of the sheer magnitude of clutch shots he took and almost always made. He ruled the 1980s with three MVPs and three titles, and everyone in every game he played knew he would take the last shot for the Celtics. Teams doubled him, denied him the ball, packed the paint, and it did not matter. Larry Legend scored anyway. The Los Angeles Lakers had the <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/04/each-nba-franchise-most-clutch-player-all-time/2/"http://www.the94feet.com/hardwood-history-michael-cooper-was-a-hinge-in-the-1980s/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">only player to truly slow him down</a>, Michael Cooper, or otherwise, Boston may have run unchecked through the league for the entire decade.</p>
<p>Highlight reels of Bird’s big moments abound, from “The Duel” with Dominique Wilkins to his triple double to close out the Houston Rockets in 1986. In the 1984 NBA Finals with the game tight, Bird buried a jumper in the face of Magic Johnson to win the game. Yet the most clutch play of Larry Bird’s career may not have been a shot at all.</p>
<p><strong>Key Moment:</strong> In 1987 the Bad Boy Pistons were coming into their own, and were pushing to knock off Bird and the Celtics. Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals was in Boston, and Detroit took the lead late on an Isiah Thomas jumper ready to go up 3-2 and send the series back to Detroit. Bird saw his game-winning shot blocked by Dennis Rodman, ball to Detroit, five seconds before the Celtics fell.</p>
<p>Thomas immediately went to inbound the ball, but the Celtics had quickly moved to cover up the Detroit players. Thomas hesitated, and Bird realized his time to inbound was running out. He followed Thomas’ eyes and made a break on the ball as Detroit floated it in to Bill Laimbeer. Bird plucked the ball out of the air, then pivoted as his momentum carried him against the baseline and fired a pass to a cutting Dennis Johnson for the layup.</p>
<p>The Celtics won, and Bird sealed the series victory in Game 7 with a lefty bank shot to put away the Pistons and return to the NBA Finals. Bird came alive at the end of games, and whether it was hitting the shot or stealing a pass he was electric. If this was a list ranking the most clutch players in NBA history, Bird might very well stand at the top.</p>
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<img class="wp-image-331705 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/04/each-nba-franchise-most-clutch-player-all-time/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F511623308.jpeg" alt="Joe Johnson, Brooklyn Nets" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/511623308.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/511623308-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Joe Johnson, Brooklyn Nets (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Most clutch player in Brooklyn Nets history: Joe Johnson</h2>
<p>Many players gain a nickname that describes their game, or perhaps simply a play on their name. For at least one player his nickname came from his late-game prowess. Joe Johnson was a cold-blooded killer at the end of tight games, earning the nickname “Iso Joe” on the back of numerous game-winning shots.</p>
<p>For every season Johnson spent with the Nets they put the ball in his hands in late-game situations. He never backed down from big shots, hitting eight buzzer-beating game winners from 2007 – 2017, many of those for the Brooklyn Nets. While the Nets never made it far into the postseason, their record was buoyed by his icy disposition under pressure.</p>
<p><strong>Key Moment:</strong> In January 2014 the Brooklyn Nets were reeling, just 10-21 on the season when the postseason was the minimum expectation. With center Brook Lopez ruled out for the season a few weeks earlier, the Nets were in danger of losing the season.</p>
<p>Facing a dominant Oklahoma City Thunder team, the Nets battled them through to the end of the game. With the score tied at 93, Johnson accepts the ball, performs a few looping crossovers, and leaps into a long jumper at the top of the key. The ball whips through the net, Brooklyn wins. That win became the first in a midseason turnaround, and the Nets would go 34-17 over the remainder of the season.</p>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Charlotte Hornets, Alonzo Mourning (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Most clutch player in Charlotte Hornets history: Alonzo Mourning</h2>
<p>The Charlotte Hornets are a young franchise with a tumultuous history. Never has this team won it all, nor even been to the NBA Finals. In recent years Kemba Walker has hit big shots, but he has done so as part of a team that consistently underperforms in clutch moments.</p>
<p>Alonzo Mourning joined the Hornets as a rookie in 1992-93, and immediately became one of the best players on a team that punched into the playoffs. Although he played just three seasons in Charlotte, he was dominant at every point of the game, and especially in late game situations.</p>
<p><strong>Key Moment:</strong> In his rookie season Mourning averaged 21 points and 10 rebounds on a team that won 44 games and made the playoffs. In the first round, they faced the Boston Celtics, playing without the recently-retired Larry Bird. Taking a 2-1 series lead into Game 4 of the best-of-five series, the Hornets found themselves down one point with just three seconds remaining.</p>
<p>Mourning catches the inbound pass at the top of the key, takes one dribble and then rises up facing the basket, knocking down the shot as the buzzer sounded. The Hornets won the game and the series, officially ending the Celtics’ run as an Eastern Conference power. Mourning scored 33 points in the closeout game, none bigger than the final two.</p>
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<img class="wp-image-331707 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/04/each-nba-franchise-most-clutch-player-all-time/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F494154931.jpeg" alt="Chicago Bulls, Michael Jordan" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/494154931.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/494154931-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Chicago Bulls, Michael Jordan (Photo by Dick Raphael/NBAE via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Most clutch player in Chicago Bulls history: Michael Jordan</h2>
<p>Michael Jordan’s aura of excellence is unchallenged, one of the very few capable of laying claim to greatest of all time. At his peak, he may have been the league’s best offensive player and its best perimeter defender. He won five MVPs and six titles as he dominated the 1990s.</p>
<p>When the clock ticked towards zero and the Chicago Bulls needed a bucket, Jordan seemed to always come through. While that wasn’t actually true — Jordan missed some clutch shots, too — the brilliance of his clutch play has burned away the chaff of common memory. While not technically true, when Jordan had the ball at the end of the game with a chance to win — the Bulls <em>won</em>.</p>
<p>Jordan more than any other player has a deep reservoir of clutch plays, many coming in the postseason or even the NBA Finals. While defensively he turned up the heat late in games as well, it was the memorable shots that are replayed in the Basketball Hall of Fame. Jordan’s final shot with the Chicago Bulls was a game-winning jumper with 5 seconds left to clinch the NBA title in the 1998 Finals…and it’s only the second-best clutch shot of his career.</p>
<p><strong>Key Moment:</strong> In 1989 Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls were still defining themselves as a team, adding the pieces around Jordan and Pippen that would propel this team to its dynastic greatness in the 1990s. In the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, they faced the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the series went to the deciding Game 5.</p>
<p>With three seconds on the clock, the Bulls are down one, ready to inbound. The Cavaliers attempt to deny Jordan the ball but he makes a series of cuts, receiving the ball beyond the arc and driving to the top of the key. He rises up to shoot, but Cavaliers defender Craig Ehlo is right in his face.</p>
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<p>Jordan somehow hangs in the air, allowing Ehlo’s momentum to carry him past, before drilling the jumper. The Bulls win, 101-100, and advance to the second round. It was a watershed moment for Jordan, who was on the precipice of his dominant run through the 1990s.</p>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron James (Photo by Joe Murphy /NBAE via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Most clutch player in Cleveland Cavaliers history: LeBron James</h2>
<p><a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/04/each-nba-franchise-most-clutch-player-all-time/2/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/jamesle01.html" ref="nofollow">LeBron James</a> is one of the greatest offensive players of all time, impossible to stop in the open court and able to get to the rim at will. He has cultivated a 3-point shot that has extended his offensive prime and continues to climb the all-time scoring list. His offensive clutch moments are nearly innumerable.</p>
<p>James has finished off nearly every team in the Eastern Conference with a clutch shot in the playoffs. He has last-second game-winning shots against the Chicago Bulls, the Toronto Raptors, the Orlando Magic, the Boston Celtics and the Indiana Pacers. Against the Detroit Pistons in 2007 James took control of the series in Game 5 by scoring his team’s final 25 points en route to a double overtime victory.</p>
<p>Even with so many clutch moments on offense, James is a terror on defense as well. His athleticism and timing make him an excellent rim protector, and he relishes the chance to blow up a transition opportunity for the other team. The biggest win of his Cleveland career was built on such a clutch defensive play.</p>
<p><strong>Key Moment:</strong> In Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals, the Cleveland Cavaliers were locked into a close affair with the Golden State Warriors. After going down 3-1 in the series James and point guard Kyrie Irving had keyed a remarkable comeback, but with offense lacking in Game 7 they needed to keep the Warriors from breaking things open offensively, something they did all the time during their 73-win regular season.</p>
<p>With the game tied and the clock ticking down, Warriors guard and reigning MVP Stephen Curry pushed the ball up the court in transition. Andre Iguodala broke free and caught the pass from Curry, elevating for a layup that would give them the lead. James, sprinting down the court at seemingly impossible speeds, elevated behind him and smacked the ball off the backboard.</p>
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<p>The Warriors would be unable to score another point the rest of the way, and with Irving hitting a 3-pointer on the other end the Cavaliers won the game and the series. Cleveland-area native LeBron James was able to accomplish his lifelong dream of bringing a title to “The Land” and he clinched the championship with one of the most clutch defensive plays in NBA history.</p>
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<img class="wp-image-332691 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/04/each-nba-franchise-most-clutch-player-all-time/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_3008,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F948970770.jpeg" alt="Dallas Mavericks, Dirk Nowitzki" width="3200" height="3008" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/948970770.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/948970770-768x722.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Dallas Mavericks, Dirk Nowitzki (Al Diaz/Miami Herald/TNS via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Most clutch player in Dallas Mavericks history: Dirk Nowitzki</h2>
<p>When the Dallas Mavericks selected Dirk Nowitzki with the 9th pick of the 1998 NBA Draft, not even they could have expected a Hall of Fame player who would be the first European player to win MVP. The Mavericks ripped off 11 straight 50 win seasons with Nowitzki at the helm.</p>
<p>Throughout his 21 seasons with the team, Nowitzki has come up big in critical moments. His signature shot, the one-legged fadeaway, is impossible for opposing players to block. At 7-0 Nowitzki towers over anyone fast enough to guard him, and his ability to space the floor breaks a defense if they slot their center onto him. He is seventh all-time in career points, one of the best offensive players in league history.</p>
<p><strong>Key Moment</strong>: Nowitzki made the NBA Finals two times, and had to face the Miami Heat both times. The first time around Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O’Neal led Miami to the victory, and in 2011 Nowitzki was facing Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh. After Miami won the first game, Dallas had the ball with the game tied in the closing seconds.</p>
<p>Nowitzki received the ball on the wing, with an accomplished defender in Bosh glued to him. Nowitzki dribbled down to the elbow, then jerked his shoulders as if he was pulling up into his patented jumper. Bosh began to shift his weight for a leap to contest the shot, at which point Nowitzki promptly spun the other way and drove for a layup, putting Dallas up 95-93.</p>
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<p>Dallas won the game after Miami missed a desperation heave at the buzzer, and rode that win to a 4-2 series victory that brought the Mavericks their first title in franchise history. Facing some of the league’s best players, it was Nowitzki who came up clutch when the game was on the line.</p>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-422271" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/04/each-nba-franchise-most-clutch-player-all-time/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1067,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2021%2F02%2F1299667844-1.jpeg" alt="Denver Nuggets, Jamal Murray" width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2021/02/1299667844-1.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2021/02/1299667844-1-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Denver Nuggets, Jamal Murray (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Most clutch player in Denver Nuggets history: Jamal Murray</h2>
<p>The Denver Nuggets are a franchise with a long history of offensive powerhouses, from Dan Issel and David “Skywalker” Thompson to Chauncey Billups and Carmelo Anthony. The current high octane Denver offense is run by the best passing center in NBA history, Nikola Jokic. Yet when it comes to sheer ice-in-his-veins shooting in the clutch, Jamal Murray takes the crown.</p>
<p>Murray gave hints of his incredible clutch ability early in his career, including a clutch game-winning shot for a Game 7 victory in 2019. Yet his ascension to the Rocky Mountain summit of clutchness came in the 2020 playoffs in the NBA Bubble.</p>
<p>Playing without multiple starters due to COVID-19, the Denver Nuggets took on the Utah Jazz. Murray had an inconsistent first few games, and the Nuggets found themselves down 2-1 in the series. Murray began to catch fire from there, dropping 50, 42, and 50 points in consecutive games to force a Game 7, where Jokic propelled them to a series win.</p>
<p>As impressive as that historic scoring burst was, the pressure only increased in the next round against the contending LA Clippers.</p>
<p>Key Moment: Down 3-1 in their second round series with the LA Clippers in 2020, the Nuggets battled back to force a Game 7. Jamal Murray absolutely came to play. He dropped 40 points on the Clippers, who threw some of the league’s best perimeter defenders onto him, to no avail.</p>
<p>In total, Murray lit the world on fire in the 2020 playoffs. He scored 40 or more points four times, including 50 points twice. The higher the pressure was, the more he stepped up. On the biggest stage, under the brightest lights, Jamal Murray balls out.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/04/each-nba-franchise-most-clutch-player-all-time/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Detroit Pistons </a>
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<img class="wp-image-332693 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/04/each-nba-franchise-most-clutch-player-all-time/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1043,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F78060735.jpeg" alt="Detroit Pistons, Chauncey Billups" width="1600" height="1043" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/78060735.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/78060735-768x501.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Detroit Pistons, Chauncey Billups (Photo by Allen Einstein/NBAE via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Most clutch player in Detroit Pistons history: Chauncey Billups</h2>
<p>The Detroit Pistons of the mid-2000s are one of the less heralded contenders of recent NBA history, often characterized as a ragtag band of misfit players all playing team basketball in such a way that they knocked off the ego-filled star squad of Los Angeles Lakers in 2004 to win a title.</p>
<p>That does this group a disservice, as they were a true contender who went to six straight Eastern Conference Finals. Chauncey Billups was a key part of that core and the player who often had the ball in his hands towards the end of close games. He earned the nickname “Mr. Big Shot” because he lacked fear of the biggest moments.</p>
<p><strong>Key Moment</strong>: In the 2004 postseason the Pistons were locked in a dogfight with the New Jersey Nets, who had won the Eastern Conference each of the past two seasons. With the series tied 2-2 and the Pistons down three points in the closing seconds, Billups squared up with the basket and launched a shot from half court.</p>
<p>Improbably the shot banks in, tying the game and sending it to overtime. While the Pistons would eventually lose in triple-overtime, they won the last two games of the series and went on to beat the Lakers in the NBA Finals.</p>
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<img class="wp-image-332694 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/04/each-nba-franchise-most-clutch-player-all-time/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1065,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F471152322.jpeg" alt="Golden State Warriors, Stephen Curry" width="1600" height="1065" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/471152322.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/471152322-768x511.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Golden State Warriors, Stephen Curry (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Most clutch player in Golden State Warriors history: Stephen Curry</h2>
<p>The only unanimous MVP in the history of the NBA has proven himself in every phase of the game, from hot starts to cold closes. Few players have gone on shooting streaks like Stephen Curry, who in a series of seconds can hit multiple 3-pointers and demoralize the opposing team.</p>
<p>One of his signature moves is sprinting to the corner after offensive rebounds, ready to receive a pass and bomb a second-chance triple. One of his early marquee moments came in the 2015 postseason when the Warriors missed a shot down three in the closing seconds, only to grab the offensive rebound and fling it to Curry in the corner. The sharpshooter nailed the 3-pointer as Anthony Davis jumped towards him, propelling the game to overtime and an eventual Golden State Warriors victory.</p>
<p>As memorable of a shot as that was, it is not the most clutch play of his career. The two-time MVP and three-time champion did what only he can do, closing out a game from an impossible distance.</p>
<p><strong>Key Moment: </strong>In February of 2016 the Golden State Warriors played a marquee Saturday night game in Oklahoma City. After a torrid start to the season under interim head coach Luke Walton, things had been rocky the past few weeks after Steve Kerr’s return. Although the Warriors would go on to win an NBA-record 73 games, in this one, tensions were high. At halftime, Draymond Green and Kerr would get into a shouting match loud enough to be heard by reporters outside the locker room.</p>
<p>With that backdrop, the Warriors fought to send the game to overtime. With the game tied and only a handful of seconds remaining, Curry dribbles across half court. The defender backpedals to the 3-point arc, ready to contest a shot from a reasonable position. Curry was and is nothing resembling reasonable, and he coolly pulled up from 40 feet.</p>
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<p><em>Bang! Bang!</em> Mike Breen’s iconic call was perfect for the shot, which won the game and gave Curry his NBA-record 12th 3-pointer of the game. The Warriors would see the Thunder again in the playoffs when Curry would propel his team to a victory in Game 7.</p>
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<img class="wp-image-332695 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/04/each-nba-franchise-most-clutch-player-all-time/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1600,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F74115606.jpeg" alt="Houston Rockets, Mario Elie" width="1600" height="1600" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/74115606.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/74115606-150x150.jpeg 150w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/74115606-768x768.jpeg 768w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/74115606-400x400.jpeg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Houston Rockets, Mario Elie (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Most clutch player in Houston Rockets history: Mario Elie</h2>
<p>NBA championships are driven by star players, and the Houston Rockets of the mid-1990s were no exception. Hakeem Olajuwon was the league’s best player with Michael Jordan playing baseball, and without him, the Rockets win neither of their two titles.</p>
<p>Olajuwon never reaches the Finals in 1995, however, without a role player named Marie Elie. After winning the title in 1994 the Rockets had a rocky year in 1995, including falling into a 3-1 hole against the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference semifinals. Elie was a role player, someone who bounced around the world plying his trade as a professional basketball player before digging in as an NBA rotation player. Despite his stature compared to the stars, Elie did not hesitate when his number was called.</p>
<p>Key Moment: The Houston Rockets battled back in that 1995 series to tie the Suns at three games apiece. In Game 7 the Rockets had the ball in a tie game, 110-110, less than 20 seconds to go. The ball was passed to Robert Horry, not yet known for his late-game heroics that would forever entrench him as a clutch superstar. Horry whipped the ball across the court into the hands of a waiting Mario Elie.</p>
<p>Elie launched the shot immediately, despite time on the clock and his position outside the 3-point arc. It looked good the entire way, and shot through the net, giving the Rockets a lead they would never relinquish en route to a series victory. Elie then turned and blew a kiss to Suns reserve Joe Kleine, with whom he had been battling all series long, earning his shot the moniker “Kiss of Death.”</p>
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<p>The Rockets would go on to reach the NBA Finals again, this time dispatching the Orlando Magic for their second-straight title. Two rings for Hakeem is built on a single clutch shot from a fearless role player.</p>
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<img class="wp-image-332696 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/04/each-nba-franchise-most-clutch-player-all-time/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1240,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F51689262.jpeg" alt="Indiana Pacers, Reggie Miller" width="1600" height="1240" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/51689262.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/51689262-768x595.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Indiana Pacers, Reggie Miller (Photo credit should read MATT CAMPBELL/AFP/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Most clutch player in Indiana Pacers history: Reggie Miller</h2>
<p>Reggie Miller is the poster boy for a Hall of Fame player who is underrated by history because he could not win the big game. First Michael Jordan and then Shaquille O’Neal stood in his way, and the Indiana Pacers could never put together a team good enough to win it all. That blurs the fact that Miller was one of the greatest shooters in the history of the league, and a clutch maestro.</p>
<p>The proof is substantial. In 1998 the Pacers were trying to knock off the Bulls a year early, and Miller nailed a game winner to extend the series. In 2002 a veteran Miller nailed a 40-foot game-tying shot against the Nets. His most famous sequence, however, spawned a nickname any casual basketball fan would recognize.</p>
<p><strong>Key Moment</strong>: The Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks were bitter rivals in the 1990s, and in the 1994 playoffs Miller was the brightest star — he dropped 25 points in the 4th quarter of a Game 5 Pacers win — but the Knicks prevailed in seven games to reach the NBA Finals. In 1995 the two teams would meet again, this time in the semifinals.</p>
<p>Game 1 was in Madison Square Garden, and with 18 seconds remaining the Knicks held a 105-99 lead. The sellout crowd had declared the game over, with many pouring out of the exits to get a head start on the way home. Reggie Miller had other plans.</p>
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<p>Miller caught an inbound pass and drilled a 3-pointer with 16.4 seconds remaining. Then he picked off Anthony Mason’s inbounds pass, racing out to the 3-point line to launch another triple. Suddenly a 6-point deficit was a tied game. New York missed their subsequent free throws and a putback attempt, and Miller found himself with the rebound.</p>
<p>He was fouled hard by Mason, perhaps still stinging from Miller’s steal. Stepping up to the line with 7.5 seconds left, he coolly knocked in two free throws. Eight points, nine seconds. Indiana won the game 107-105 and would go on to win the series.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/04/each-nba-franchise-most-clutch-player-all-time/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Los Angeles Clippers </a>
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<img class="wp-image-332697 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/04/each-nba-franchise-most-clutch-player-all-time/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2383,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F472019528.jpeg" alt="Chris Paul, LA Clippers" width="3200" height="2383" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/472019528.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/472019528-768x572.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Chris Paul, LA Clippers (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Most clutch player in Los Angeles Clippers history: Chris Paul</h2>
<p>The Los Angeles Clippers have had nothing approximating success throughout their long history. Before Chris Paul joined the team they had won just two playoff series in 41 seasons. Paul, one of the best point guards of the 21st century, led the Clippers to three in four years.</p>
<p>Paul and the “Lob City” Clippers remain at this writing the last Western Conference team to beat the Golden State Warriors in a playoff series. The level of success Paul brought to the Clippers legitimized them as a franchise and put them in positions of raised stakes. While he did not always come through, his passion drove him to make a number of big plays in big moments.</p>
<p><strong>Key Moment</strong>: The 2015 Western Conference playoffs saw a number of teams with similar records all bunched together. The Los Angeles Clippers came out on top of the group, earning the third seed and, for their reward, a matchup with the defending champion San Antonio Spurs, who tumbled to sixth based on tiebreakers.</p>
<p>The series was incredible, a title bout where both teams traded haymakers, leading to a Game 7 at Staples Center. With the score tied and time running out, Chris Paul drove into the paint, going right at defensive anchor Tim Duncan. He flipped up a floater that just barely arced over Duncan’s fingers to drop in. The Clippers won, 111-109, knocking off a Spurs team many thought could win the title again. It was Paul’s finest moment for the Clippers.</p>
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<img class="wp-image-332698 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/04/each-nba-franchise-most-clutch-player-all-time/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F854832812.jpeg" alt="Los Angeles Lakers, Jerry West" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/854832812.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/854832812-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Los Angeles Lakers, Jerry West (Photo By Raymond Boyd/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Most clutch player in Los Angeles Lakers history: Jerry West</h2>
<p>The Los Angeles Lakers have amassed so many titles, so many trips to the NBA Finals, so many playoff appearances that selecting just one player as the most clutch is an exercise in futility. Kobe Bryant cultivated his entire persona on the idea that he was deadly in the clutch. Robert Horry and Derek Fisher each hit huge game winners en route to titles. Magic Johnson won five titles and his fair share of clutch shots and clutch moments, including starting at center for an injured Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in an NBA Finals game.</p>
<p>Out of the mass of talent comes one specific player, the one so respected by his peers that they called him the original Mr. Clutch. Jerry West, The Logo, was the driving force for Lakers teams that were annually in the NBA Finals. When the game was tight no one in the organization wanted the ball anywhere but in West’s hands.</p>
<p><strong>Key Moment</strong>: In Game 3 of the 1962 NBA Finals, the Lakers had tied the game and needed to stop Boston from scoring in order to force overtime. It was West’s first showdown with the Celtics, a team he would face many times over the next decade. Knowing the Celtics would try to get the ball to elite point guard Bob Cousy, West stayed between Cousy and the inbounder and made a break on the ball when it was thrown into play.</p>
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<p>West tapped the ball away, then gained possession and raced down the court as the clock ticked towards zero. He released a finger roll just before time expired that bounced home, giving the Lakers the victory and West one of his first clutch moments for the Lakers.</p>
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<img class="wp-image-332699 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/04/each-nba-franchise-most-clutch-player-all-time/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F674194490.jpeg" alt="Memphis Grizzlies, Marc Gasol" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/674194490.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/674194490-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Memphis Grizzlies, Marc Gasol (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Most clutch player in Memphis Grizzlies history: Marc Gasol</h2>
<p>The Memphis Grizzlies are a younger franchise, without the longstanding history of a franchise like the Knicks or the success of one like Miami. But what the Grizzlies have cultivated over the past decade is an <em>identity</em>, and that is something that can propel a franchise.</p>
<p>Center Marc Gasol has been at the center of “Grit N’ Grind” in Memphis, not only as their best player but as someone who steps up frequently in clutch moments. In 2011 the Grizzlies burst onto the map by upsetting the Spurs in the first round, with Gasol putting up huge numbers and wing Shane Battier stroking a crucial 3-pointer to propel Memphis towards their ultimate series victory. From then on Gasol stepped up for a number of huge shots.</p>
<p><strong>Key Moment:</strong> Again facing the Spurs in 2017, the Grizzlies reached the postseason as a lower seed after an injury-plagued season. With the Spurs up 2-1 in the series and the game in ovetime, Gasol caught the ball in the high post, drove into the paint, and tossed up a runner over All-Star center LaMarcus Aldridge.</p>
<p>The shot goes in, and Spurs’ heave misses, and Gasol once again led his team to a big victory with a clutch play. The Grizzlies were now tied 2-2 with the Spurs after starting the series down 0-2 (prompting the famous “take that for data” line from head coach David Fizdale). Although the Grizzlies would ultimately lose the series, Gasol was brilliant in the clutch.</p>
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<img class="wp-image-324418 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/04/each-nba-franchise-most-clutch-player-all-time/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2130,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2016%2F04%2F170833040.jpeg" alt="Miami Heat, Ray Allen" width="3200" height="2130" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2016/04/170833040.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2016/04/170833040-768x511.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Miami Heat, Ray Allen (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Most clutch player in Miami Heat history: Ray Allen</h2>
<p>There are players who hit more clutch shots than Ray Allen for the Miami Heat, considering he played just two seasons in a reserve role for Miami. Dwyane Wade has played nearly his entire career in Miami and hit a number of big shots. LeBron James led the Heat to four straight NBA Finals. Alonzo Mourning, Shaquille O’Neal — there are a number of great players to have plyed their craft near the end of games for Miami.</p>
<p>Yet the greatest single play in Miami Heat history — and one of the greatest in all of basketball history — was made by Allen, and for that he deserves recognition. He was a major part of the Heat winning their second title, a turning point that could have changed the path of NBA history in significant ways.</p>
<p><strong>Key Moment:</strong> In Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals, the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs were locked into a tight affair. The Spurs were up three games to two, meaning the Heat had to win or they were eliminated. A rock right of a contest saw the Spurs up three late, and LeBron James fired a 3-pointer than missed the mark. What happened next is part of NBA lore.</p>
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<p>Chris Bosh secures the rebound among a sea of Spurs players, and Ray Allen immediately begins backpedaling towards the corner. By the time he receives the pass he is moving behind the line, and he launches up a 3-pointer with the entire Spurs team watching him. The muscle memory and body control required to make such a shot is nothing short of incredible.</p>
<p>Because of Allen’s clutch shot the Heat were able to win in overtime and again in Game 7, winning their second title in as many years. Allen retired after the next season, but his signature moment lives on.</p>
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<img class="wp-image-189517 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/04/each-nba-franchise-most-clutch-player-all-time/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2430,w_3600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2016%2F03%2F140036368-milwaukee-bucks-v-kansas-city-kings.jpg" alt="Milwaukee Bucks, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar" width="3600" height="2430" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2016/03/140036368-milwaukee-bucks-v-kansas-city-kings.jpg 3600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2016/03/140036368-milwaukee-bucks-v-kansas-city-kings-300x600.jpg 300w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2016/03/140036368-milwaukee-bucks-v-kansas-city-kings-768x0.jpg 768w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2016/03/140036368-milwaukee-bucks-v-kansas-city-kings-590x900.jpg 590w" sizes="(max-width: 3600px) 100vw, 3600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3600px;">KANSAS CITY, MO – CIRCA 1974: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar</p>
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<h2>Most clutch player in Milwaukee Bucks history: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar</h2>
<p>The leading scorer in NBA history, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did not begin his career on the Los Angeles Lakers team with which he would dominate the league for nearly two decades. First, he was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks, leading them twice to the Finals in his six years with the team.</p>
<p>Abdul-Jabbar had a signature shot that may have been the most unguardable shot in NBA history, the sky hook. He could unleash it from any angle around the hoop, and his height and the trajectory of the shot meant that defenders could never block it, and rarely even influence it. The only hope against Kareem was preventing him from getting the ball in the first place.</p>
<p><strong>Key Moment:</strong> The Bucks played the Boston Celtics in the 1974 NBA Finals, led by John Havlicek and Dave Cowens. Down 3-2 in the series Oscar Robertson and Abdul-Jabbar battled the Celtics throughout Game 6, eventually pushing the game into two overtime periods. Both times the Bucks tried to put the Celtics away Havlicek responded with big shots to keep the game going.</p>
<p>In double overtime, it was Boston who had the upper hand, up one with only a handful of seconds remaining. Kareem caught the ball on the left elbow, sized up the defense, and drove baseline to line up his shot. He flicked up a gorgeous sky hook that arced into the air and dropped into the net, giving the Bucks the win in Boston, a rare feat in those days. While the Celtics would eventually prevail in seven games it was a high moment for Milwaukee.</p>
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<img class="wp-image-332700 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/04/each-nba-franchise-most-clutch-player-all-time/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2129,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F50781446.jpeg" alt="Minnesota Timberwolves, Kevin Garnett" width="3200" height="2129" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/50781446.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/50781446-768x511.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Minnesota Timberwolves, Kevin Garnett (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Most clutch player in Minnesota Timberwolves history: Kevin Garnett</h2>
<p>Kevin Garnett is far and away the greatest player in the history of the Minnesota Timberwolves. He is one of the most versatile and impactful defensive players in the history of the league, and on a different team may have won more titles than his one in Boston. As it was he used the chances he was given to make a number of clutch plays on both ends of the court.</p>
<p>Despite his struggles to elevate a poorly constructed team throughout his Minnesota career, in 2004 he did break through to the Western Conference Finals. The path there allowed Garnett to flex his offensive and defensive muscles simultaneously, dominating at both ends throughout the team’s playoff run.</p>
<p><strong>Key Moment</strong>: Only once in franchise history have the Timberwolves ever advanced past the first round of the playoffs, and that was in 2004. In the second round Garnett and the Wolves faced the Sacramento Kings, and the series went to seven games. Determined not to lose, Garnett showed up to Game 7 hyped up and ready to play.</p>
<p>He scored 32 points, pulled in 21 rebounds and tallied four steals and five blocks. The Kings had no answer for him at either end and were completely blown off the court. Garnett seemingly single-handedly propelled the Timberwolves to the Western Conference Finals and the franchise’s best finish ever, scoring 14 in the fourth quarter to put the game away.</p>
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<img class="wp-image-275794 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/04/each-nba-franchise-most-clutch-player-all-time/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_3239,w_4673/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F10%2F858467834-new-orleans-pelicans-v-oklahoma-city-thunder.jpg.jpg" alt="New Orleans Pelicans, Anthony Davis" width="4673" height="3239" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/10/858467834-new-orleans-pelicans-v-oklahoma-city-thunder.jpg.jpg 4673w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/10/858467834-new-orleans-pelicans-v-oklahoma-city-thunder.jpg-768x532.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 4673px) 100vw, 4673px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:4673px;">New Orleans Pelicans, Anthony Davis (Photo by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Most clutch player in New Orleans Pelicans history: Anthony Davis</h2>
<p>Every so often a player comes around who is a franchise-defining talent, a star of such magnitude that he raises a team just by his presence. Fans, team employees and teammates in New Orleans watched Anthony Davis grow from transcendent talent to dominant superstar.</p>
<p>Offensively Davis could score in the paint or beyond the arc, throwing down lob passes or flipping in hook shots. Defensively his massive wingspan and quick reflexes resulted in a devastating rim protector who could also move onto the perimeter when necessary. In clutch situations, Davis has the tools to make the needed play on offense or defense in a way few others in NBA history can. While the Lakers have seen him show up in clutch moments most recently, he first became a clutch player with the Pelicans, stepping up when they needed him the most.</p>
<p><strong>Key Moment</strong>: The 2015 season was the first in Anthony Davis’ career where the New Orleans Pelicans were in playoff contention, and ultimately they made the postseason with a Game 82 win over the San Antonio Spurs. Davis was dominant in that game, hanging 31 and 13 on the Spurs. The root of their playoff berth, however, dates back to earlier in the year.</p>
<p>In a February game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Pelicans were tied up with 1.2 seconds remaining. Davis, at this point in his career primarily an inside player, catches the ball well outside the 3-point line and elevates to shoot. The defense was right on him, with Kevin Durant’s long arms stretching into his air space. This forced Davis to double clutch and then after hanging in the air for a moment fling the ball towards the rim — a shot that went in and gave the Pelicans the victory.</p>
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<p>The win not only gave the Pelicans another tally mark in that column, but it also gave New Orleans the tiebreaker over the Thunder. This turned out to be crucial at the end of the season when the Pelicans finished at 45-37, the same record as the Thunder. New Orleans qualified for its first postseason on the tiebreaker and the Thunder were forced to stay home.</p>
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<img class="wp-image-332842 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/04/each-nba-franchise-most-clutch-player-all-time/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2218,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1044808748.jpeg" alt="New York Knicks" width="3200" height="2218" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1044808748.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1044808748-768x532.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">New York Knicks (Photo by Ross Lewis/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Most clutch player in New York Knicks history: Willis Reed and Walt “Clyde” Frazier</h2>
<p>The New York Knicks as a franchise have had a large number of clutch moments in their history, some of them good and so many of them bad. The annals of NBA history are filled with players wilting from the moment, making critical errors in judgment, or simply missing big shots.</p>
<p>Even so, there are clear high moments when the Knicks experienced the positives of clutch play. One such shot came from Allan Houston in Game 5 of their 1999 first round showdown with the Miami Heat, when the Knicks became the first team seeded eighth to make it to the NBA Finals. But for a more impactful moment, we must turn back the clock to 1970.</p>
<p>Willis Reed was an incredibly athletic center, able to dominate the glass despite standing just 6-9. In 1970 he won MVP for a Knicks team that won 60 games and made the NBA Finals. His wingman was point guard Walt “Cliyde” Frazier, who himself finished fourth in MVP voting in 1970. After defeating the Bullets and Bucks, the Knicks were poised to win a title for New York if they could overcome the Los Angeles Lakers, led by Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor.</p>
<p><strong>Key Moment</strong>: After going up 3-2 in the series, the Knicks were walloped by the Lakers in Game 6 playing without Reed, who suffered a severe ankle sprain in Game 5. It seemed obvious to everyone that without the league MVP the Knicks had no chance to win Game 7.</p>
<p>Then unexpectedly as the Knicks warmed up on the Garden floor, Reed hobbled out wearing his uniform. He started the game and scored the first two baskets of the game. The Lakers were shocked that Reed was out there, and the Knicks rode the emotional lift. Although Reed would not score the rest of the game, his ability and will to play through the injury lifted the rest of the team.</p>
<p>Frazier had one of the all-time great NBA Finals performances, dropping 36 points, seven rebounds, 19 assists and four steals on the Lakers. Without a strong ball-handling point guard the Lakers couldn’t get their offense going, and four times Frazier picked the Lakers’ pocket and went the other way for a score. With no emotional answer for Reed’s return and no on-court answer for Frazier, the Lakers folded and the Knicks won the championship in front of their home crowd.</p>
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<img class="wp-image-332702 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/04/each-nba-franchise-most-clutch-player-all-time/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_637,w_873/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F51744601.jpeg" alt="Gary Payton, OKC Thunder" width="873" height="637" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/51744601.jpeg 873w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/51744601-768x560.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 873px) 100vw, 873px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:873px;">Gary Payton, OKC Thunder (Photo credit should read DAN LEVINE/AFP/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Most clutch player in Oklahoma City Thunder/Seattle Supersonics history: Gary Payton</h2>
<p>The Oklahoma City Thunder, previously the Seattle Supersonics, have had plenty of offensive talent wear their jersey — from Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook in modern days to Dennis Johnson and Jack Sikma on the 1979 title team.</p>
<p>Yet, the most clutch player in franchise history, while no offensive slouch, made his impact felt defensively in a massive way. Gary Payton was one of the league’s best defensive guards, and in many important situations he locked down an opposing player and prevented them from any clutch-time heroics.</p>
<p><strong>Key Moment</strong>: In 1996 the Sonics overcame the Utah Jazz in seven games to earn a chance to knock off Michael Jordan and the 72-win Bulls. Although the Sonics would lose the series in six games, Payton’s defense on Jordan was otherworldly, and the Bulls did not win because Jordan was unstoppable.</p>
<p>Payton never played fewer than 44 minutes in the series, marking Jordan every step of the way. Jordan shot just 41.4 percent for the series and 36.6 percent over the final three games. Although the Sonics did not have enough firepower to stop the entire Bulls squad, Payton elevated his game on the biggest stage and did his part in giving his team a chance to win.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/04/each-nba-franchise-most-clutch-player-all-time/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Orlando Magic </a>
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<img class="wp-image-332703 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/04/each-nba-franchise-most-clutch-player-all-time/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2125,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F158893720.jpeg" alt="Orlando Magic, Hedo Turkoglu" width="3200" height="2125" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/158893720.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/158893720-768x510.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Orlando Magic, Hedo Turkoglu (Photo by Gary Bassing/NBAE via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Most clutch player in Orlando Magic history: Hedo Turkoglu</h2>
<p>The Orlando Magic are generally discussed in clutch moments in a negative sense. One of LeBron James’ most iconic shots was against the Magic. Courtney Lee blew a layup that could have changed the outcome of the 2009 NBA Finals, but instead, the Magic folded to the Lakers. The two greatest players in the franchise’s history were centers with mixed clutch performances.</p>
<p>An unlikely player to claim the mantle of most clutch, Hedo Turkoglu is nonetheless deserving. One of the best point forwards of his time, Turkoglu was the best perimeter player on the Orlando Magic teams that helped to push the envelope on team identity with their 4-out approach.</p>
<p><strong>Key Moment:</strong> The 2009 playoffs were the best chance for the Magic to win a title, with the Celtics weakened by the loss of Kevin Garnett to injury. In the Eastern Conference Finals they faced LeBron James and the Cavaliers, and both Game 1 and Game 2 went down to the wire.</p>
<p>In Game 1 the Cavaliers were up two with only a few seconds remaining, and Turkoglu created an open look for Rashard Lewis who knocked down the 3-pointer to give the Magic the win. In Game 2, it was Turkoglu’s turn to score the points. With the Magic down three and under a minute to play, Turkoglu hit a 3-pointer to tie the game and then a 2-point jumper with one second remaining to put the Magic up by one.</p>
<p>History was not kind to Turkoglu, as that one second was enough for LeBron James to hit an incredible buzzer beater and steal the win. But the Magic knew they could hang with James, and proceeded to win three of the next four games and advance to the NBA Finals.</p>
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<img class="wp-image-332704 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/04/each-nba-franchise-most-clutch-player-all-time/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1119,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F51682987.jpeg" alt="Philadelphia 76ers, Allen Iverson" width="1600" height="1119" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/51682987.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/51682987-768x537.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Philadelphia 76ers, Allen Iverson (TOM MIHALEK/AFP/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Most clutch player in Philadelphia 76ers history: Allen Iverson</h2>
<p>The Philadelphia 76ers have seen multiple waves of success, driven by some of the league’s most colorful stars. Moses Malone and Julius “Dr. J” Erving brought titles to Philadelphia, and Charles Barkley brought a shocking combination of skill and personality. In recent years Joel Embiid is one of the NBA’s most enigmatic stars.</p>
<p>Topping them all was Allen Iverson, he of incredible on-court moves and incredulous off-court comments. Although the 76ers of the early 2000s never won a title, they were perennial contenders on the back of Iverson and his clutch-time heroics.</p>
<p><strong>Key Moment:</strong> In 2004 the Sixers were taking on the Indiana Pacers, an Eastern Conference rival and a team that always played with an edge. With the game tied at 104 in overtime, Iverson walked the ball up the court as the clock dipped below ten seconds.</p>
<p>Iverson drives into the paint, stopping on a dime at the free throw line. He fakes the defender away, then pops up for an open shot that rattles home at the buzzer. Iverson was never afraid of the big moment, and his play backed that up.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/04/each-nba-franchise-most-clutch-player-all-time/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Phoenix Suns </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-412527" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/04/each-nba-franchise-most-clutch-player-all-time/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1067,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1228033436.jpeg" alt="Phoenix Suns, Devin Booker" width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1228033436.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1228033436-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Phoenix Suns, Devin Booker (Photo by Ashley Landis-Pool/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Most clutch player in Phoenix Suns history: Devin Booker</h2>
<p>The Phoenix Suns have a long history in the NBA, joining the league in the late 1960s. For a 35 year stretch from 1975 to 2010, they only missed the playoffs seven times. Twice they lost in the NBA Finals, another seven times in the Conference Finals. Very rarely have they been “bad” but they have also never won it all.</p>
<p>Then came the years in the desert (the metaphorical one), with ten straight years missing the postseason. While that period of sustained losing wore on the fan base, it also brought the team its next star, Devin Booker.</p>
<p>For the first four seasons of his career, Booker showed offensive brilliance without team success. He once dropped 70 points on the Boston Celtics, one of only six players in NBA history to reach that mark. It came in a loss, but with Booker the youngest to reach that lofty height, the future looked bright.</p>
<p>That future came knocking in the NBA Bubble in 2020. After an interrupted season, the Phoenix Suns came to play, led by the best play of Devin Booker’s career.</p>
<p>Key Moment: After a hot 2-0 start during the NBA’s restart, Booker and the Suns took on the LA Clippers. A high octane game was in its final seconds with the score tied at 115, and Booker had the ball at the top of the key. He drove inside of the arc, with four-time All Defense selection Paul George on his hip.</p>
<p>Booker stopped on a dime, and as George’s momentum carried him past, looked to have an open look. But two-time Defensive Player of the Year Kawhi Leonard was close enough to step up for the contest. Booker didn’t even blink, pumping Leonard into the air. With George now recovering Booker spun in place to shake him, and then launched a shot as the buzzer sounded.</p>
<p>Nothing but net. Playing one of the title favorites, guarded by two of the league’s very best perimeter defenders, Booker made them look silly and hit the biggest shot of his career.</p>
<p>Booker and the Suns stayed perfect from there, going 8-0 in the NBA Bubble and just barely missing the playoffs. Booker averaged 30.5 points per game, shooting 50.3 percent from the field. He stepped up in a major way for a Suns team with a bright future.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/04/each-nba-franchise-most-clutch-player-all-time/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Portland Trail Blazers </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-353367" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/04/each-nba-franchise-most-clutch-player-all-time/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2327,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1145282504.jpeg" alt="Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers" width="3200" height="2327" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1145282504.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1145282504-768x558.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Most clutch player in Portland Trail Blazers history: Damian Lillard</h2>
<p>The Portland Trail Blazers won a title in 1977, and returned to the NBA Finals again in 1990 and 1992. Bill Walton and Clyde Drexler are both Hall of Fame players who were incredible players in their time. But neither showed up in clutch moments quite like Damian Lillard.</p>
<p>The point guard out of Weber State has been an offensive dynamo since entering the league, and has set the culture on a Portland squad that has never missed the playoffs under his leadership. His ability to pull up from anywhere on the court makes it difficult to guard him, especially when the game is on the line.</p>
<p>Lillard now has two walk-off series-winning shots, one in 2019 against the Oklahoma City Thunder, and an even more clutch shot earlier in his career.</p>
<p><strong>Key Moment</strong>: In 2014 the Portland Trail Blazers were seeking their first series victory in over a decade, and were facing the Houston Rockets in the first round. Although Portland was up in the series 3-2, Game 7 would be in Houston if they could not close the Rockets out. In Game 6 Houston was up two points with just nine-tenths of a second left on the clock.</p>
<p>Damian Lillard sprinted around the arc and knew he had separation on his defender. Clapping his hands for the ball, Lillard caught the pass outside the 3-point line and let it fly. The ball splashed through the net, giving Portland the series victory. Lillard was as cool as could be in the most clutch moment of his career.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/04/each-nba-franchise-most-clutch-player-all-time/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Sacramento Kings </a>
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<img class="wp-image-332707 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/04/each-nba-franchise-most-clutch-player-all-time/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F56712943.jpeg" alt="Sacramento Kings, Mike Bibby" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/56712943.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/56712943-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Sacramento Kings, Mike Bibby (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Most clutch player in Sacramento Kings history: Mike Bibby</h2>
<p>While in recent years the Sacramento Kings have become something of a laughingstock, without any true clutch moments to speak of, they were not always this dysfunctional. In the early 2000s the Kings had a stocked team and were talented enough to compete with anyone in the league.</p>
<p>At point guard, the Kings started Mike Bibby, who was more of a scorer and shooter than a facilitator. On a team with Chris Webber and a young Hedo Turkoglu that worked out just fine, Bibby played a key role in their playoff runs — including a huge clutch play in the biggest series in franchise history.</p>
<p><strong>Key Moment</strong>: The 2002 Western Conference Finals were one of the best series of the past twenty years, with the Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Lakers going back and forth all series long. In Game 5 the result was going down to the wire, much as it had in the Lakers’ series-tying one-point win in Game 4.</p>
<p>Down one with 11 seconds to go, Bibby inbounds the ball to Webber and then sprints past him, receiving the ball back. He curls to the top of the elbow and launches a jumper that whips through the net.</p>
<p>Heartbreak awaited the Kings in Games 6 and 7, and the Lakers would return to the NBA Finals and complete their three-peat. But the Kings showed throughout the series that they were one of the league’s best teams to never make the Finals, and Mike Bibby’s game-winner was the highlight of a highlight series.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/04/each-nba-franchise-most-clutch-player-all-time/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> San Antonio Spurs </a>
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<img class="wp-image-332708 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/04/each-nba-franchise-most-clutch-player-all-time/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F56609446.jpeg" alt="San Antonio Spurs, Robert Horry" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/56609446.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/56609446-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">San Antonio Spurs, Robert Horry (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Most clutch player in San Antonio Spurs history: Robert Horry</h2>
<p>Some players define themselves by a signature move, perhaps a dribble technique or a patented shot. Others do so by their look and appearance, or their personality, or even the accolades of their career.</p>
<p>Robert Horry defined himself by <em>when</em> he took his shots because the man had a special talent for finding the ball in late-game situations and nailing important shots. Called “Big Shot Rob” for this skill, Horry was a part of a shocking number of championship teams. He won two titles with the Rockets in 1994 and 95, three times with the Lakers from 2000-02, and another two with the San Antonio Spurs in 2005 and 2007.</p>
<p>By the time he joined the Spurs, Horry had already gained his reputation as the shooter of big shots, and he did not disappoint in San Antonio. While players such as Tim Duncan and George Gervin were also incredible clutch players, Horry was something special and deserves the nod.</p>
<p><strong>Key Moment</strong>: In 2005 the Spurs faced the defending champion Detroit Pistons, who had tied the series 2-2 with a dismantling of the Spurs in Game 4. Late in overtime during Game 5 the Spurs are down one and the Pistons double Manu Ginobili, who passes to an open Horry. Big Shot Rob knocks in a 3-pointer, his fifth of the night, to give the Spurs the win.</p>
<p>In all, Horry would score 17 points in the final 18 minutes of the game, none bigger than the final shot. The win was crucial as Detroit won Game 6 in San Antonio, and the Spurs prevailed in Game 7. As he was in Houston and Los Angeles, Horry was clutch for the Spurs when they needed him the most.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/04/each-nba-franchise-most-clutch-player-all-time/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Toronto Raptors </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-422270" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/04/each-nba-franchise-most-clutch-player-all-time/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2021%2F02%2F1143371451.jpeg" alt="Toronto Raptors, Kawhi Leonard" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2021/02/1143371451.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2021/02/1143371451-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Toronto Raptors, Kawhi Leonard (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Most clutch player in Toronto Raptors history: Kawhi Leonard</h2>
<p>Kawhi Leonard spent only one season with the Toronto Raptors, but (including playoffs) it was the best single season in franchise history. He was the best player on the only Toronto team to make the NBA Finals in 2019, and was the Finals MVP in a victory over the Golden State Warriors to bring home the only NBA championship in franchise history.</p>
<p>Leonard had a number of key moments in his one-season run with the team. In the Eastern Conference Finals he changed the series when he began guarding league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, successfully daring him to hit jumpers. The Raptors won four straight after the switch en route to winning the conference.</p>
<p>It was more of the same in the NBA Finals, where he averaged 28.5 points and 9.8 rebounds per game in a six-game victory. Yet as impressive as his last two series were, it was the Raptors’ second round series against the Philadelphia 76ers that produced the greatest clutch moment in franchise history.</p>
<p>Key Moment: A hard-fought second round series in 2019 made it to Game 7; it was win or go home. A Jimmy Butler layup for the Philadelphia 76ers tied the score at 90 with 4.2 seconds left. Leonard received the ball at the top of the arc and sprinted for the corner, trying to find space around the length of the Sixers defenders. Out of time and court, Leonard turned and launched as he reached the corner, just barely getting the shot off before the buzzer, the shot nearly blocked by Philadelphia center Joel Embiid.</p>
<p>Kawhi landed and came down in a crouch, watching his moonbeam of a shot fall onto the rim.</p>
<p>Bounce.</p>
<p>Bounce.</p>
<p>Bounce.</p>
<p>Bounce.</p>
<p>In.</p>
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<p>The Raptors won on the absolute craziest shot anyone has seen in years. Toronto moved on, won two more series, and brought home the title. All because of four bounces and one incredible shot from Kawhi Leonard.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/04/each-nba-franchise-most-clutch-player-all-time/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Utah Jazz </a>
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<img class="wp-image-332710 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/04/each-nba-franchise-most-clutch-player-all-time/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1141,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1977446.jpeg" alt="Utah Jazz, John Stockton" width="1600" height="1141" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1977446.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1977446-768x548.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Utah Jazz, John Stockton (Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Most clutch player in Utah Jazz history: John Stockton</h2>
<p>The Utah Jazz under Jerry Sloan were the perfect picture of sustained success, never once posting a losing record when Sloan coached either John Stockton or Karl Malone. That meant that over the years the team faced a number of high-pressure situations, and it is interesting who showed out as the best clutch player.</p>
<p>Malone was known as the play finisher, the scorer, and indeed he ranks second all-time in points scored. Stockton, the league’s all-time leader in assists, was the distributor. He set up his teammates to score. Yet when the game was on the line, Stockton could score with the best of them.</p>
<p><strong>Key Moment</strong>: In 1997 the Utah Jazz had the best squad in franchise history, a 64-win club with an elite SRS rating. Stockton and Malone were incredible, and after losing to the Sonics the year before were ready to break past the Western Conference Finals. Game 6, in Houston, saw the Rockets up late before Stockton went on a run.</p>
<p>In less than three minutes Stockton scored nine points to bring the Jazz back and tie the game. After Rockets wing Clyde Drexler missed a shot and Malone rebounded, the Jazz used a timeout to advance the ball past midcourt. With 2.8 seconds on the clock, Stockton calls for the ball, catches outside the arc, and dribbles into a 3-pointer at the buzzer to win the game.</p>
<p>This was not only the top moment of Stockton’s career, but it was the highlight of the Jazz organization. The shot punched the ticket to the NBA Finals, the team’s first ever trip, and was their first of two straight Western Conference Finals victories in 97 and 98.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/04/each-nba-franchise-most-clutch-player-all-time/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Washington Wizards </a>
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<img class="wp-image-330991 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/04/each-nba-franchise-most-clutch-player-all-time/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1042,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2016%2F04%2F577924756.jpeg" alt="Washington Wizards, Gilbert Arenas" width="1600" height="1042" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2016/04/577924756.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2016/04/577924756-768x500.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Washington Wizards, Gilbert Arenas (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Icon SMI/Corbis via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Most clutch player in Washington Wizards history: Gilbert Arenas</h2>
<p>The Washington Wizards have a long history in the league, dating back to the Bullets that played in both Baltimore and the nation’s capital. Wes Unseld helped to lead the Bullets to the NBA title in 1978. Yet it is a more recent Washington player who built a reputation on clutch success.</p>
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<p>Gilbert Arenas was fearless in big moments, demanding the ball and taking the responsibility, make or miss, of taking that last shot. He hit a number of game winners, including big shots against Chicago and Cleveland. His best clutch shot came in 2007 against the Utah Jazz.</p>
<p><strong>Key Moment</strong>: In 2007 the Wizards were in the midst of four straight playoff appearances, but were locked into a tight race for playoff seeding. By March every game counted, and the Wizards went into Salt Lake City needing a win. The end of the game saw both teams tied 111-111.</p>
<p>Arenas dribbled the ball up the court and watched the clock, letting it tick all the way down. He didn’t want to give Utah a chance to score themselves, of course, but he also knew the weight of the moment. He wanted his shot to go at the buzzer.</p>
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<p>And go it did, as Arenas pulled up over Deron Williams for a 3-pointer at the very top of the arc. The shot splashed through as the buzzer sounded, giving Washington the win and Arenas the signature moment he wanted.</p>
<p>While the Wizards may not have gone far under Arenas, they were always equipped to make shots when it counted.</p>
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