On Sunday, Jayson Tatum hit the opening game-winning shot of the 2022 NBA Playoffs, a beautiful spinning layup at the buzzer lifting the Boston Celtics to a Game 1 victory against the Brooklyn Nets. That closing sequence is the essence of clutch performance, one that will be repeated for years to come and has already been inscribed in Boston’s extensive history books.
When we examine clutch statistics, we assume that the score is within five points in the last five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime. The following is a list of the top ten players in terms of total clutch points during the 2021-22 regular season:
Tatum is seventh on this list with 97 crucial points during the regular season, but he did not shoot the ball well from the field, particularly from 3-point range. Tatum’s ability to draw fouls and shoot free throws very effectively helped him earn a spot among the season’s top ten clutch scorers.
Indeed, Boston concluded the regular season with the second-lowest win % in games involving clutch play, going 13-22 in such games.
When clutch performance is compared to playoff seeding, the Celtics are a major exception. Phoenix, Memphis, and Miami — the other three teams who ended as the top two seeds in their respective conferences – all finished in the top five in clutch victory % during the regular season. Boston is the only team in the eight that had home-court advantage in the first round that ended worse than 12th in critical win %.
