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BUZZER BEATERS

From Jack McCallum's essay on players like Kobe Bryant taking last-second shots:

I'd bet every NBA coach would rather have a big-player-for-the-big-moment option, as opposed to relying on a play with various alternatives. With the clock running down, the crowd on its feet, the defense ready to inflict bodily harm on any player who drives near the hoop and the refs likely to swallow their whistles, you want the ball in the hands of the truly elite. As Nets coach Lawrence Frank said, "You can put stuff on the blackboard, but it's about the player not the play."

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