Short post here: but I notice ESPN talking to us about how great Kobe is for being up 3-1 in the NBA Finals.
I love Kobe, and I really understand the respect he’s being given for getting eight or more assists in every Finals game, but two of those games were overtime games that Orlando could have easily won.
The difference in these games has come down to missed lay-ups and free throws, for Orlando. It could easily be 3-1 Magic. And if one or two of those shots had gone in, would the sports journalist be talking about how Kobe can’t really finish, or is having trouble taking over the game? Probably.
And this extends throughout sports: coming close doesn’t count, and it should it team sports. Coming close doesn’t have as much value in head-to-head sports like tennis, but to exalt one player’s performance in a team sport in which his team has barely scraped through is misleading.
And it is way worse in sports like football and baseball.