Basel57

Basel (California): I've never had a question answered on one of these chats before, so here's to hoping this is the one! This is pretty random, but I want to change things up considering all that's been talking about lately is coaching changes, playoffs, etc. My question is: Would you consider Nick Van Exel one of the better clutch players the NBA has ever seen? Everyone remembers the Lakers last game at Boston Garden in 1995. Good times. Answer this, and I'll give you a high five and a chocolate chip cookie!

SportsNation Chris Sheridan: (5:06 PM ET ) wow, Basel. That is out of left field. But your timing was perfect, cuz your question popped up at the top of the queue after I sweated Jersey Turnpike traffic to make it here at the nick of 5 to start the chat on time. To answer your question, No. Robert Horry is a clutch shooter, Sam Cassell is a clutch player. Nick could play and Nick could shoot (especially the long ones at the end of quarters), but I don;t have him in my top 15 clutch players. One of the first basketball games I ever covered was a Cincinnati-UNC game in the NCAA tournament at the Meadowlands, and Nick was lights out in the first half like you wouldn;t believe and MIA in the second half.

http://proxy.espn.go.com/chat/chatESPN?event_id=20444

It was the first one, answered, too!

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“The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotion, spends himself in a worthy cause; who at best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who have never tasted victory or defeat.”