The Arkitekt’s Perspective

Clutch Gene

Somewhere, in a dark laboratory in Chicago or San Francisco or maybe Boston, there is an ambitious young scientist analyzing stem cells, trying to confirm the existence of a genetic trait which lends itself to a predisposition for timely heroics. ESPN First Take analyst Skip Bayless has been making reference to the “clutch gene” for years now. Having covered the Chicago Bulls in the nineties, a front-seat witness to many a Michael Jordan fourth quarter, Skip’s professional opinion is laden with credibility. In team sports, there are a plethora of factors that can affect an athlete’s success or ineptitude in decisive moments. That said, if we can presume not that all things are equal but that a large enough sample size will weed out many of the flukes, then we can examine the tendency for some superstars to play big in the game’s biggest moments. I have some up and down votes on a couple of today’s controversial leading men.

 LeBron James

LeBron James, Forward, Miami Heat

This is a no brainer for me, but I’ll offer a few disclaimers. For one, this guy has been compared to the greatest at least since he was sixteen years old. It is sports blasphemy to mention Michael Jordan’s name next to any other basketball player. In general, that name serves as the golden standard for… well, everything. Michael Jordan is the Michael Jordan of basketball, so I will not use his unique body of work to slam LeBron. Instead, I will simply revisit some of his career highlights and lowlights, so to speak.

Exhibit A: Impressive start. LeBron’s NBA and Cleveland Cavaliers debut saw the eighteen year old star post 25 pts, 9 ast , 6 rbs and 4 stl against a Sacramento Kings team that was still considered a juggernaut in the league, albeit in a losing effort. The numbers were there from literally the onset, on his way to winning Rookie of the Year honors, but the winning wasn’t; the Cavs did not make the playoffs.

Exhibit B: Playoff Debut. In 2006, James set all kinds of franchise records in Cleveland, including points scored in a season. He led his team to the playoffs and even to a game seven versus the Detroit Pistons. But in the biggest and “clutchest” moment of his still young career, Bron’s Cavs only managed 61 points, a record low for any game seven. James had one field goal in the second half.

Exhibit C: The Promised Land. LBJ has now, after his eight year, made it to the NBA Finals on two occasions. The problem is he needed eight wins to earn two rings. He got two wins, both coming when he was a secondary option to former Finals MVP Dwyane Wade.

Ruling: LeBron James, while unquestionably a top basketball talent, does not appear to have been blessed with the illusive clutch gene. Time after time, the pressure of the biggest moment has revealed the star forward to be a bit gun-shy. The one exception would be the big game-winning three he hit in the 2009 playoffs (Game 2, ECF) against the rival Orlando Magic, but then again, they lost that series.

 Tim Tebow

Tim Tebow, QB Denver Broncos

This guy has the potential to have his face on the cover of Time Magazine for the way he has transcended the sport of football. As the Tebow 3:16 marches to Massachusetts for a playoff game, the bandwagon seems to be accommodating more and more passengers every day. In the same way that I don’t hold basketball players of today against the backdrop of His Airness, I’ll try not to mention the fourth quarter exploits of Joe Montana, John Elway, or even Tom Brady. When it comes to clutch, the Gator-turned-Bronco has consistently demonstrated that if nothing else, he’s got late game gumption. He has been called the Anti-LeBron. Let’s leave alone whether or not the guy is a viable NFL quarterback; let us instead turn simply to his fourth quarter and overtime comeback wins and near-wins. The opening snap of the first new-rules overtime against the heavily favored Pittsburg Steelers on Sunday night was the icing on a cake baked with several other victims Tebowmania.

Exhibit A: Champion. Unlike James, Tim Tebow went to college and won there. And although he didn’t live up to the undefeated season that he and some experts predicted, a singular failure led to a memorable press conference speech and the Florida Gators marching to a national BCS championship.

Exhibit B: J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets! Before the game in week eleven, star cornerback Darrelle Revis claimed that the New York defense need only not fall asleep in the secondary to defeat Tim and the Broncos. I guess Revis Island pressed the snooze button because after an abysmal showing in the first, second, and third quarters, Tebow delivered a 95-yard drive, capped off by a game-winning 20-yard run.

Exhibit C: What new rules? Had the 2012 NFL playoffs kept the same rules as last year, we wouldn’t know it yet. Because in what many have deemed the best performance of Tebow’s two year NFL career, the Broncos opened the extra session with an eighty yard touchdown pass, sending the Steelers home earlier than they planned.

Ruling: Somebody could write a book on the ongoing media-driven debate over whether or not Tebow is capable of playing or deserves to play quarterback in the NFL. In fact, I’m almost sure somebody is working on that book right now. But given a fifteen game sample size with which to work, I’d have to say the deoxyribonucleic composition of the Broncos young starter does in fact include the clutch gene.

Final Thought

If I had to choose between being Pat Riley and John Elway – that is: would I prefer to have a roster that includes LeBron James or Tim Tebow – I’d go with Riles every time. James is one of the three or four best players in basketball, certainly  a top two small forward. As Ravens linebacker Terelle Suggs said, I wouldn’t want to be praying on the sideline late in the fourth quarter, waiting for a miracle to get a win. I’d much rather be in a position to dominate throughout a game. Ideally a team’s season doesn’t come down to a game winning shot or drive or penalty. But if your superstar comes up short consistently like LeBron who may in fact not have the genetic makeup of a closer, I’m going to want to have another player on my roster, one who has proven that he rises to the highest occasions. I don’t know, maybe a guy like Dwyane Wade.

Nelly Semela