It is a long-held belief that hitting big shots in crunch time reflects upon some special talent within the player. Whether it be a will to win or some indifference towards pressure, certain athletes just have what it takes to get things done in winning time.
But math-minded people think luck plays a bigger role, and there's never been better evidence for their argument than Lance Stephenson's buzzer-beater in the second overtime of Friday night's game between the Charlotte Hornets and Atlanta Hawks. With the score tied 119-119 with 2.7 seconds on the clock, Stephenson took the inbounds pass and launched from way beyond the arc. It went on, but not exactly in the way most shooters plan:
Stephenson's shot gave the Hornets a 122-119 win, running their record to 3-3. That victory counts either way, no matter if Stephenson banked in his shot or not. The form of the shot also didn't keep Stephenson from jumping on the home scorer's table in celebration.
While the Hornets' big offseason addition proved the hero in double overtime, big man Al Jefferson was their star with 34 points and nine rebounds.
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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at efreeman_ysports@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
from Yahoo Sports http://ift.tt/1uKMenc
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