Research Paper
Bridger Dawson
Writing about sports
Research based argument
May 3, 12
Best of the Best
The whistle blows, signaling the end of the timeout. There’s three seconds left in the NBA Finals Championship Game. The Bulls find themselves down by one after giving up a layup to the Cavaliers. At this point you know the ball is going into one mans hands; the man trusted to make so many clutch shots in his career, the man who lives for these situations, Michael Jordan. The ball is handed to the player out- a- bounds so he can inbound it; Michael shakes free and gets the ball. He takes a dribble toward the free throw line…2 seconds left. He elevates into his shot…1 second left. The ball leaves his fingertips with perfect rotation. The ball is in the air as if moving in slow motion across the sky. Closer and closer it gets to the rim; there’s no way its going in then, swish, perfect shot tickling the twine as the buzzer sounds. “The bulls win, the bulls win,” was the scream coming from the announcers on TV. Michael leaps in the air in celebratory fashion knowing that he had just won the NBA championship for his team in near impossible fashion. In the 2011 NBA Finals and the Miami Heat found themselves playing the Dallas Mavericks. The Heat were heavily favored to win this series. Lebron James is the best player on the heat, and was expected to get the job done. However in the series Lebron struggled to say the least. The “king” averaged a measly 17 points per game, and failed to come up big when his team needed him the most. In the fourth quarter Lebron turned from an all-star to a bench player at best. It was like he was scared to have the ball in his hands in the big moments. He was frequently passive with ball, giving up open shots to pass to his teammates. It is good to pass it around but when you’re an all-star with an open look you take it. Lebron averaged a measly 2.2 points per fourth quarter in the Finals and found himself 0-7 in the playoffs when the game was
Writing about sports
Research based argument
May 3, 12
Best of the Best
The whistle blows, signaling the end of the timeout. There’s three seconds left in the NBA Finals Championship Game. The Bulls find themselves down by one after giving up a layup to the Cavaliers. At this point you know the ball is going into one mans hands; the man trusted to make so many clutch shots in his career, the man who lives for these situations, Michael Jordan. The ball is handed to the player out- a- bounds so he can inbound it; Michael shakes free and gets the ball. He takes a dribble toward the free throw line…2 seconds left. He elevates into his shot…1 second left. The ball leaves his fingertips with perfect rotation. The ball is in the air as if moving in slow motion across the sky. Closer and closer it gets to the rim; there’s no way its going in then, swish, perfect shot tickling the twine as the buzzer sounds. “The bulls win, the bulls win,” was the scream coming from the announcers on TV. Michael leaps in the air in celebratory fashion knowing that he had just won the NBA championship for his team in near impossible fashion. In the 2011 NBA Finals and the Miami Heat found themselves playing the Dallas Mavericks. The Heat were heavily favored to win this series. Lebron James is the best player on the heat, and was expected to get the job done. However in the series Lebron struggled to say the least. The “king” averaged a measly 17 points per game, and failed to come up big when his team needed him the most. In the fourth quarter Lebron turned from an all-star to a bench player at best. It was like he was scared to have the ball in his hands in the big moments. He was frequently passive with ball, giving up open shots to pass to his teammates. It is good to pass it around but when you’re an all-star with an open look you take it. Lebron averaged a measly 2.2 points per fourth quarter in the Finals and found himself 0-7 in the playoffs when the game was
Cited: Allen, Tim. "Anatomy of a 4th Quarter: LeBron James." Canis Hoopus. 14 June 2011. Web. 03 May 2012. <http://www.canishoopus.com/2011/6/14/2222836/anatomy-of-a-4th-quarter-lebron-james>. Dorsey, Jesse. "NBA." Bleacher Report. 18 July 2011. Web. 03 May 2012. <http://bleacherreport.com/articles/770444-lebron-james-vs-michael-jordan-who-had-a-better-first-8-years-of-their-career/page/9>. Fisk, Mike. "NBA." Bleacher Report. 31 May 2011. Web. 27 Apr. 2012. <http://bleacherreport.com/articles/718428-king-james-vs-his-airness-10-reasons-why-scottie-was-wrong/page/12>. Norof, Ethan. "Different Aspects of Their Game." Bleacher Report. 27 May 2011. Web. 25 Apr. 2012. <http://bleacherreport.com/articles/715144-lebron-james-vs-michael-jordan-comparing-different-aspects-of-their-games/page/4>.