ANALYSIS/OPINION:
Statisticians have tried to put parameters on what “clutch” means. The process of doing so is at odds with the preeminent argument from the numbers world that “clutch” does not exist. But, for measurement purposes, the NBA stat heads have framed the term around what occurs when a game is within five points with less than five minutes to play. That’s the working framework.
By that definition, the Washington Wizards are woeful. Just watching suggested that late-game struggles have defined this positive but less-than-ideal season so far. There are also numbers to back that up, numbers that don’t even include some of the non-boxscore miscues that helped sink the Wizards Wednesday night against the depleted Utah Jazz.