STATION 13: Shooters Keep Shooting

Billups always believes the next shot he takes is going in

Chauncey Billups - synonymous with the nickname Mr. Big Shot - has consistently made late game heroic scenes look easy for various teams at the NBA level. 

Last night, Billups was at it again.

Despite shooting 1-6 from the field in the fourth quarter - with some of those shots being questionable to begin with - Billups knocked down the game winner against the Dallas Mavericks from the right wing with supreme confidence.

There are two notes of importance that come from Billups clutch moment last night:

     1. Shooters keep shooting - Despite the fact that Billups missed five shots in the fourth and was 6-18 until the Los Angeles Clippers final possession, Billups wanted to take the final shot of the game. That confidence helps to separate mediocre from good, good from great and great from excellent.

     2. The V-Cut is crucial to getting open - Billups inbounds the ball to Blake Griffin on the right wing, takes one step forward, plants his right foot in the ground, V-Cuts behind Blake Griffin, receives the pass, rises up and drops the game-winner. The V-Cut that Billups made was calculated and caused Jason Kidd to be just a tad late in defending his trey ball. 

Click 'Play' above and watch the V-Cut a few times to get a glimpse of how important this move off the ball is. 

Also, here's a video of Chauncey Billups discussing how important getting in the gym and working hard while your there helps to enhance your game - "Do it for yourself," is a key quote from this video.