Quote:
Originally Posted by DeezNutz
Though I was being a smartass--surprise!--I believe that al and I agree on this point; there is such a thing as choking, but there isn't such a thing as "clutch." The latter suggests that a player can "turn it on," thereby holding something back in earlier situations.
Do I believe that pressure shakes some? Absolutely. Look no farther than pussies like Hochevar for proof of this, but this should come as no surprise, given how he entered the league.
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I too think that clutchness is something talked about way too much, but I think that it does exist in some capacity. It wouldn't be so much "turning it on" though, because this player wouldn't have access to that special reserve of ability. It seems reasonable to me that some players respond better
when the pressure is on. Not by their own agency, but for psychological reasons relating to motivation or something.
Chokers don't choose to choke; they don't manually turn on their failure switch. So clutch players are ones are the true opposite of chokers -- they inexplicably perform better in high-pressure situations, or as games near their conclusion.