Los Angeles Lakers coach Mike Brown defends LeBron James’ clutch play - NBA Update
What is the difference between a good basketball player and an elite one?
Both are almost equally skilled, but it is the game finishing ability that differentiates a great player from just a good one.
Currently, there are two prominent players in NBA, who are the challengers to the throne of being the best in NBA - Los Angeles Lakers Kobe Bryant and Miami Heat’s LeBron James. Both of them have different ways of playing the game
and perhaps LeBron is a better all round player, but when it comes to finishing the game there ain’t a player as good as the Black Mamba.
James tries to be more of a facilitator in the death and is intent on creating shots for others rather than taking them. His inability to win games at crucial stages in the last seven years has perhaps dictated this attitude, one
which is now drawing quite a lot of criticism. The fact became all the more pronounced after James, guarded by Kobe and being continuously dared to take the shot, decided to pass the ball for the game tying shot. That shot never came as Blake Griffin stole
it in between and the Eastern Conference lost.
Then in the game against Utah Jazz, James again refused to take the last shot and found Udonis Haslem in the paint. Haslem missed the jumper and Miami surrendered a nine game winning streak at the Salt Lake City. That again put
the spotlight on James’ reluctance to have the final ball down the stretch. However, after finding support from his own coach Erik Spoelstra, James has received backing from his ex-coach Mike Brown.
Brown, who coached LeBron during his stint as a head coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers, is currently coaching the Lakers. He put his weight behind LeBron;
"When you have a great player, you live with what the great player provides," Brown said. "Kobe, LeBron, D-Wade, those type of players. Durant. Can they score in double coverage? Yes. As a coach, would you take them shooting in
double coverage? Yes. But if they made a play or a pass to a guy they thought was open? Are you mad at that? No.
According to Mike there is no issue with LeBron’s finishing.
"He's a great player. I know if I'm coaching him and he did that, I don't have a problem at all," Brown said. "Nine times out of 10, he makes the right basketball play. If not more. His basketball IQ is extremely high. To me, it
wasn't a big deal."
The fact of the matter is that James has always been an unselfish player and the chemistry that has now developed at the South Beach franchise is very much the result of putting the team first. On Friday night and in the All-Star
game, James did not have an open look and considering that jump shot is about the only weakness in James’ arsenal, passing the ball was the natural choice.
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