Isaac
Years ago

The Robert Horry Con

Here's a very timely article from Slate about who they term "Sideshow Bob", asking "Is Robert Horry the NBA's best clutch shooter or its best con man?"

Horry explained his philosophy: "If I hit it we win, if I miss y'all are going to blame the stars for losing the game anyway... There's no pressure on me."

In the 2003 playoffs, Horry went 2-for-38 from behind the arc -- and everybody blamed Shaq and Kobe for the Lakers' downfall.

It's a pretty harsh take but worth a read if you've got a moment.

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Statman
Years ago

mmmm very harsh I feel. Im sure that if someone could be bothered doing the research that Jordan, Magic, Bird and pretty much every other great player has had a chance to win a game and has blown it at some stage in their career.
The fact remains that Horry is put in the position by his coach and is given the ball by his team mates to make the big shots so they obviously have faith in him. Oh and he has 5 rings so he must be doing something right!

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igotmadskills
Years ago

He has 6 rings now.

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DJ
Years ago

Was just talking about this the other day with some mates. Is he a great player or not - as the article mentions he rides alongside some big names and gets his shots when his defender goes to double up.

But isnt this smart basketball? to know where to go on the court, when to be there? And to be ready for when your defender shows you no respect - on the other hand opposition teams would rather gamble on a Horry three or mid range humper than a duncan one coverage post-up (or shaq or olajuwon).

Horry you da man.

I do agree that espn did over glorify him a little though.

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Undersized pf
Years ago

Robert Horry understands his role in the team and thats what makes up so dangerous. In the clutch situation they dont always got to Horry. The lakers often went to shaw or kobe down the stretch, thats why its always keeping the defenders on there toes.

because unlike every other clutch shooter in history, the D is not certain that the ball is going to horry. They still have to guard the rest of the team.

This proves Horry's supreme basketball IQ hes a clutch player who has the defence doubting whether hes gonna shoot it.

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Undersized pf
Years ago

shaw = shaq

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cheezeburger
Years ago

hack=shaq

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billo
Years ago

I was thinking the same thing after game 5, actually mentioned it in an email to a mate, he's got himself in a sweet position where whenever he has a big game in the finals everyone's talking him up, but when he plays for 25 mins for 4 points people always say "He'll come good when he has to".

Personally I like the guy, although I was shocked to read his career average is only 7.5ppg, I would have thought more like 12. He did this dunk maybe 10 years ago, don't know if anyone can remember it, he was flashing through the middle of the key when someone threw him an alley, the pass was a bit behind him but he caught it then casually reversed for the massive 2 hander. Didn't really explain it that well but if anyone's seen it they'll know what I mean.

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Anonymous
Years ago

hes made alot of tought shots so he should be respected.....michael jordan is the greatest clutch player of all time he played all game then stepped up even more in the dying minutes and not only one shot but every play and every game he could do it.....robert horry is sick though for a a 6 foot 10 african american if your that height and black you are normally reliant on your athleticism in that league he plays like one of those big europeans

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Anonymous
Years ago

Did you see the massive dunk he made in traffic?!?!?!

He is an amazing role player. He is the type of guy we want to see more of. Smart, athletic, skillful.

Lots of big duds out there and almost every player lacks one of those three qualitys.

Pitty age is a factor.

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Dr Bullshit
Years ago

hey at least the man can admit that, he knows he played crap in the 2003 playoffs and he knows he probably deserved more blame for the loss than what he received. He is an honest man, and a truly great tryer.

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dub zero
Years ago

he deserves alot more recognition than he is getting at the moment

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Joe 20
Years ago

The article misses the point. It's not about how many you miss. It's WHEN you make them. That's what CLUTCH means. No one says Horry is the greatest shooter of all time. He is just the most CLUTCH. The question is, if you were down by 2 with 1 second left on the clock, who would you pass the ball to? My vote, based on track record would be Big Shot Bob.

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Hoops

The Robert Horry Con

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