Clutch! It’s not just a mechanism used to connect and disconnect a vehicle’s engine from the transmission system.
It’s also a hero’s moment we love to fetishize in sports culture. I don’t say that pejoratively, either. Clutch moments are often the most memorable. Michael Jordan nailing the shot over Craig Ehlo nine years before he’d send the Chicago Bulls to their sixth NBA title. Ray Allen keeping the Miami Heat’s championship run alive by coldly knocking down a corner 3-pointer, blind to where his feet would plant but cognizant of where rogue ropes existed on the court. Kyrie Irving putting the Cleveland Cavaliers up in Game 7 on the road before Steph Curry would fail to answer.
These moments bring about some of the most dramatic situations. We judge players, teams and coaches on the results of these situations, whilst meticulously breaking down the process to get said results. Recently, The Athletic’s Seth Partnow…
