Coming down the stretch of the Lakers’ 109-107 victory over the Raptors Tuesday night, it was easily apparent which team was more accustomed to the pressure of a close game. Los Angeles was able to take high percentage shots more consistently and get to the line more frequently than their opponent. Toronto was unable to take advantage of the bonus free throws to which they were entitled and made several questionable turnovers. Furthermore, when Lakers defenders squeezed Raptors guards, teammates seemed frozen on the spot and timeouts were required to save the possession. Jarrett Jack had to bail himself out …
Skills We Should Teach More, Part IV: Taking the Clutch Shot
Trailing Phoenix by one with twelve seconds to play, Toronto called timeout to set up the final shot. The Raptors inbounded to Hedo Turkoglu, who endeavoured to penetrate, lost the handle, and forced a fadeaway jumper. The poor shot was the result of Turkoglu’s slip, not the set but the shot still lacked viable alternatives to the primary option. Posting Chris Bosh against Amare Stoudamire would have been definitely feasible but how could coach Jay Triano better incorporate the Raptors’ young players into these pressure situations? During climatic moments, mental and somatic anxiety heightens. The latter can be controlled by …